‘Unforeseen Love’: Lyndsey Cartledge works tirelessly in support of her family, and she’s the ‘glue’ that keeps them all together

Kyle and Lyndsey Cartledge once splashed around in the same pool as kids with no clue, or care for, what the future would hold. 

Kyle laughs as he looks back and realizes how far they have come since then and discovered that they even stood shoulder to shoulder in their kindergarten class photo, all without ever really getting to know one another. 

“It’s kind of crazy,” Kyle said. “We grew up in the same neighborhood, and we’ve known each other from afar since we were 5.”

A chance meeting a decade later led to a few golf dates and a Mexican dinner or two, and they were engaged a year later.

Kyle has learned so much about Lyndsey since then, and each new quality seems to be better than the last. She is supportive, persistent, independent and so many other things that Kyle has come to appreciate more and more each day. 

For starters, Lyndsey never stops moving, planning or doing, and 100% of the time, her hard work is out of total commitment to her family.

That hustle is one of Kyle’s favorite qualities about his wife. Lyndsey is giving with her time and makes sure that Kyle has opportunities to unwind or relax after long days, even if they come at the expense of her own time. She is dedicated to Kyle and her sons, Wyatt (8) and James (3), and is the primary force that keeps all of them together. 

Lyndsey works tirelessly as a bookkeeper. She takes care of the home, handles the kids’ virtual schooling, cleans, repairs, plans and otherwise focuses on *dominating* her days, rather than just surviving them. 

“She’s a doer,” Kyle said. “She just never really sits down ever. Those times where it’s, ‘Hey, the kids are settled. This is your time to just sit on the couch and actually relax,’ she has to find a new project to do or a basket of laundry to wash, or wipe down the table. She’s non-stop. It’s all day every day.”

To Kyle and the boys, that kind of effort is about so much more than simple household tasks. They are acts of service, and just a few of the many ways that Lyndsey shows all of them how much she loves and supports them. 

She does it with Wyatt and James by finding a way to do her full-time job while supervising their schooling at the same time. Kyle appreciates that about her, and he really loves that Lyndsey is bold and unafraid to make decisions or get her hands dirty. 

She is as strong as she is loving. 

“That never-back-down quality is probably the most attractive quality to me,” Kyle said. “I don’t ever have to worry about anybody taking advantage of her. She can handle herself just fine.”

For Kyle, that level of support means freedom to be himself and to pursue career moves or hobbies that might require a degree of sacrifice from Lyndsey. 

When an opportunity came along that would take the family from Georgia to Jacksonville, for example, Lyndsey not only accepted it, she was the one who convinced Kyle to accept the job. He was terrified at first, but quickly came to realize that Lyndsey was right about it being their family’s best move.

“I was very hesitant and it was scary to me, but to her, it was, ‘Yeah, let’s go. Let’s live in a place we’ve never been in our lives,’” Kyle said. “To do that was a big step for me, but it was very evident early that it was going to go very, very well. She’s such a great partner. It strengthened our relationship and family.”

The same can very much be said about Lyndsey herself, both for all the hard work she does and the love she pours into the family. 

Without her, Kyle and the kids all know the family’s world just wouldn’t be the same. 

“She really is the glue that holds our house and family together,” Kyle said. “She’s involved in absolutely everything and allows us to live our best life.”