Jess & Cory

Cory was born and raised in a small town in Texas, and is one of 5 siblings, he has 3 brothers and 1 sister. He enjoyed growing up in the country surrounded by family, he was raised by his grandparents and looks up to them as his example of a strong marriage. Even though Cory is a middle child, he was his grandmother’s “favorite” and was never starved for attention. Professionally, Cory works from home remotely as an Onboarding Manager for a vacation rental company. One of the best parts about his job is the flexibility, and he is excited that his career allows him to spend so much time with me, our 3 dogs and eventually our future child! Cory is very athletic and loves sports, pretty much ALL sports and he’s naturally good at most things that require athleticism. Let’s just say, I’d always pick Cory for my team! He is a huge Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys fan, and even though we live in Hawaii now he has never let that dull his love for his home (Texas) teams. Cory volunteers his time as a coach for our local little league and enjoys all things outdoors. He is seen by our friends and family as a down to earth, fun-loving, and easy-going guy. They know they can count on him to be there, he loves unconditionally, has an open mind, and generous spirit. For me, as his wife, I have to say that Cory truly makes life better and easier!

Jess was born and raised in Texas and is 1 of 3 siblings, she has a younger brother and sister. Growing up in a single parent household and being the oldest child in her family, Jess has always been a responsible role model and someone her siblings confide in and look up to. Nowadays, one of her favorite things is being Aunt Jess to our nieces and nephews, and wow is she great at it. Seeing Jess interact with our nieces and nephews fills my heart with so much joy for the love she will have for our future child. I cannot wait to see her as a mother and experience parenting together! Professionally, Jess has always been very driven and has done some amazing things in her career, allowing us to travel and live in some pretty amazing locations across the U.S. First and foremost, Jess is a leader, even in roles where that may not be her title, she takes ownership and has great pride in the work she does, but mostly enjoys caring for the well-being of her team. For the last 17 years Jess has worked in the spa and beauty industry and is currently a Spa Director at a luxury 5-star resort in Hawaii. Jess is very adventurous and funny! Her daily “to-do list” consists of: 1. Be Thankful 2. Do Something for Someone 3. Laugh at Yourself She enjoys singing, hiking, cooking, going on Jeep adventures, spending days at the beach, camping, and relaxing at home catching up on our favorite shows or taking in a good movie so she can snuggle up on the couch with me and our pups. Everyone that knows Jess almost instantly sees what a big heart she has. She has a kind, caring, and nurturing spirit- she loves to make people feel welcome and included. Ending awkward social situations is her specialty, usually by making people laugh. As an introvert myself, this makes me fall in love with her more every day!

We have 3 loving pets, our dogs Ranger, Mr. Wilson, and Violet. Of course, one of our favorite family activities is spending days on the beach! RANGER Ranger is our 9-year-old English Bulldog and is the sweetest teddy bear of a dog! He loves playing ball and snuggling with his stuffed “lamby”. Ranger is wonderful around children; he loves to be chased and give hugs. MR. WILSON Mr. Wilson is our 4.5-year-old French Bulldog and is very playful and funny! He wins the hearts of everyone, everywhere he goes. At one time he was able to go to work with Jess on a daily basis and was given a nametag and deemed the “Director of Smiles”. He is welcome in all of the shops in our small town and is a favorite of the ladies at our vet clinic. They have even been known to sneak him special treats when he visits. VIOLET Violet is the current “baby” of the family and is our 2-year-old French Bulldog! She loves to snuggle, sneak leaves in from outside, and boss her big brothers around. She quickly had all of us wrapped around her little paw the moment she joined our family.

We are so thankful for the wonderful small town in Hawaii that we get to call home. We live in a plantation style home that sits on about ½ an acre of open land. We have a large porch that wraps around half of our home. We love to host game nights and cookouts when we aren’t at the beach. There are a lot of families in our neighborhood and children are always playing outside and riding their bikes around. We are fortunate to know all of our neighbors. They are friendly, and everyone looks after one another. Even though our town is small, it is very diverse, and we have friends from many different backgrounds. Living here has taught us the meaning of “Aloha” and “Ohana” here in Hawaii. It is not uncommon to plan to enjoy a quiet beach day but then be invited to a family gathering happening next to you. We love that we get to live where most people may only dream of vacationing and one of the biggest blessings of living here is being able to invite and host our family and friends to experience this magical place! We are blessed to call this beautiful paradise home. Raising a child here will give them a sense of safety, community, and kindness that is unique and special in this day and age.

Mostly, we just love spending time together! Whether it is snuggled up on the sofa with our pups watching a movie or our favorite TV shows, spending the day at the beach, exploring the island in our Jeep, hiking, or planning our next vacation or even just cooking dinner we enjoy quality time with one another. Some of our travels have included cruises in the Caribbean, beach resorts in Mexico and Jamaica, exploring the pyramids of Chichen Itza, mountain getaways in Colorado, scaling the tallest mountain in North Lake Tahoe, exploring the White Sands in New Mexico and weekend getaways all over Texas, we are now working on exploring Hawaii. Most of our travels always include time with family or visiting with family as part of our adventure. Our next big trip together is Walt Disney World as we have never been, are huge Disney fans and that is all Jess wants for her next birthday!