Taylor & Judson George

WHEN THE WORLD STOPPED, THEY FELL IN LOVE THEY DATED THROUGH A PANDEMIC — THE PERFECT TIME TO GET TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER

arried only four months ago, Judson and Taylor George are one of Valdosta’s newest married couples. They met on the very first day of their post graduate program at the University of St. Augustine. They were in the same cohort in the Fall of 2019 of their two-year Occupational Therapy program. The second week of school, a few of the guys, Jud recalls, asked a few of the ladies if they could join their study group. Taylor was one of the women in the study group. They all became fast friends and spent lots of time studying as a team.

When COVID hit in early 2020 their schooling went online. Both Jud and Taylor stayed in St. Augustine. “What better place to go through a pandemic?” Jud remembers. They talked from January to July, cooking together, studying together, playing tennis on weekends, and enjoying the beach. It was the perfect opportunity for them to get to know each other, uninterrupted.

Taylor’s specialty is pediatric occupational therapy. When they graduated in August of 2021, she took a job with Jud’s father, Frank at his pediatric clinic. Originally from Ocilla, Taylor studied public health at Georgia College before deciding on occupational therapy. She loves what she does, seeing patients as young as newborn and up to 21. She helps patients with developmental delays that can be found in children with autism or those born with Down's Syndrome and similar issues. Taylor helps kids with cognitive tasks, play therapy, social skills, and sensory integration to increase their independence with activities of daily living. These tasks vary depending on the age of her patient and the needs that they have. One particular activity she enjoys is taking her older, more advanced patients out into the community to order a coffee or snack to help them with their psycho-social skills.

“The big word is function, I help them to achieve that, and for kids, that can be learning it for the first time.” Taylor explains that her goal is always to help her patients and to set them up for success.

As much as Taylor and Jud love each other and enjoy the work they do, they do not work together. Jud works for SGMC. He practices in the acute care setting. As an occupational therapist, Jud typically evaluates a patient within their first few days in the hospital, whether that’s for trauma like a car wreck, a stroke, amputation, generalized debility or any sort of failure to thrive. Jud comes to see the patients on every floor — neurology, surgery, COVID, and cardiac.

Jud and Taylor stay very busy with their careers and patients, so when it’s time to relax they spend their down time together. Perhaps it was their pandemic dating, but the couple is used to togetherness and really prize their time. They also joke that their home is tiny and there is nowhere for them to hide. Jud says, “It’s been great for communication because we can’t fight or stay mad; everything is out in the open and shared between the two of us.”

In December of 2021, Jud proposed to Taylor in the beautiful pecan groves of Taylor’s family orchard in Ocilla. They married at High Grove in October of 2022, surrounded by family and friends in what Taylor described as a traditional and classic affair. The best decision they made was to hire a wedding planner. Hers was John Gandy out of Tallahassee. He handled every detail, which, while working full time, was exactly what the busy couple needed. Taylor is quick to mention that another brilliant decision they made was leaving their honeymoon planning to a professional as well. They used travel agent Holly Elrod of HDE Destinations to plan their Barbados trip. Jud said, “The pool at the Curacao resort collapsed a month before our trip and she fixed it all. She found us a new place to stay. It was a problem that we would not have known how to fix. We didn’t have to, she solved the problem.”

The pastor from Taylor’s home church presided at their wedding and led the couple in their marriage counseling. Taylor said, “He asked us questions that facilitated discussion about love languages and how those help each other. We discussed interactions and goals, and our expectations for each other and how we will keep each other accountable. He provoked great analysis and the sessions helped us grow as a couple. I would encourage couples considering marriage to seek counseling, but I also think the right fit is crucial.”

Jud’s advice to newlyweds is to strive to love like God loves us. “God loves us unconditionally. Try for that with the understanding that we will fall short, but be intentional and genuine.” | VM