Lover’s Lane: Julian & Ashli

Hey 👋🏾 Hope all is well in your world. The season of change is upon us as the days get longer and the weather gets warmer. If you are in transition, know that its okay. ☺️ Nothing changes without changes. On this beautiful Thursday, at least where I am, I have the pleasure of presenting you with another beautiful couple of creatives. Today we shine light on the love of Julian and Ashli, two hardworking and driven individuals that find the time to grow within each other. A brief overview from the perspective of a loving husband and supportive wife that shows a love cultivated at one of the best universities ever is what is to be expected. I’m grateful Julian and Ashli took the time to answer a few questions about the love that is shared and how they balance career and marriage.

Julian & Ashli

Whats your love story? How and when did you meet?

Julian: We met at Jaguar Preview at Southern in 2007. Im all the way down there from Maryland, no idea what to expect, and being very introverted. Ash will tell you that she thought I was being anti-social but I was just super nervous. I saw her and I just knew she was out of my league. Fast forward 2 years and a couple interesting interactions later and were dating.

Ashli: We met at jaguar preview at Southern University and A & M college in 2007 and I definitely thought that Max appeared as if he did not want to be bothered with me or anyone in the room lol. When Max and I were freshman‘s in the band at Southern University we became great friends and he became someone that I knew I could count on to listen and make me laugh. Later on in college as we matriculated through our degrees we began to date and our great friendship turned into one of my favorite love stories.

What are your individual careers and how can the public support? How do you balance romanticism and your careers?

Julian: I am a Band Director full time and photographer on the side with my business partner Korey H. Ash is a Family Therapist and an influencer in the VSG (vertical sleeve gastrectomy) community. During football season and Parade season things are pretty busy for me. Her schedule is a little more flexible but we still make time for each other. Date night, getaways, and just binge watching whatever we come across is how we spend QT time. Im currently booking Grad Photo sessions at @flarefocusmedia on IG and FB. Anyone who is considering Bariatric surgery or is post-op go follow @vsg_ashli on IG for tips and support.

Ashli:

Max is correct that I am a family therapist where I now do teletherapy due to Covid whereas previously I did in-home therapy services for the youth and adults. Currently, now that I am at home working on zoom I have also placed a great emphasis on trying to be an influencer on social media. You can follow me at my Instagram account that my husband listed earlier and follow Max’s photography page @JuliansPointOfHue.

Currently, we balance our careers and alone time by spending time together by now doing date nights, trying to travel alone, and watching alllllll the movies and shows on Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, prime video, and YouTube! Lol As we’ve grown in our individual careers we’ve seen the importance of spending time together and what happens when we do not make each other a priority. So, we have learned, in my opinion, how beneficial it is for us to spend quality time together over the years.

What are the biggest lessons that you take from each other?

Julian: Understanding and communication. You think you know the person you’re marrying...until you actually get married. We are 5 years in at this point and we have done plenty of growing. Our communication is getting better (shes a great communicator, im catching up) and our level understanding is growing as well. We are surrounded by experienced, loving couples and that is a blessing in itself! Seeing and participating in life with these couples has helped us better navigate WITH each other vs around each other.

Ashli: The biggest lessons that I take away from my husband is that I cannot force my opinion or thoughts on to him. It is best when we come together and communicate how we feel about something and allow each other individual time to process it. When I allow my husband to process something and we come back later and discuss these items, we are more successful together as a couple. As we’ve been married I have had to remind myself that it is not him against me. We are a team.