Welcome beloved friends and family!

Yes we were young, 15 to be exact. We met through mutual friends our freshman year at Rio Rancho High School. We both joined the track team; John a sprinter, and Alicia a distance runner. We became close friends, a friendship that would blossom into something extraordinary. Alicia was the one who started with a huge “crush” 😍 We started dating our sophomore year of high school (a parent’s worst nightmare! Haha), “just to see how it goes” -in John’s words. Our relationship took its time to bloom into something wonderful— through homecoming dances, proms, sports and competitions, school tests and exams, and high school graduation, we stayed by each other’s side. Onto college, we started going to UNM together. This was a much different environment than our high school life; harder tests, more time dedication to studies, making time for work, but we loved and cherished every minute we could get together. John started a different program at Pima Medical Institute to study as an X-ray and CT technologist, and Alicia graduated with her degree in Biology in May, 2018. She then started Doctor of Physical Therapy school at UNM August, 2018. John is to graduate August, 2019 and plans to continue his studies while working. While the years have brought many changes, challenges, and adjustments, we continued to adapt to our new circumstances with love, patience, and understanding. We grew up together, learned valuable lessons from one another, were each other’s support and driver through all the good and challanging times. I truly couldn’t imagine having a better life partner.

It was a stressful time for Alicia in physical therapy school. Big exams were coming up, as well as the dreaded STEP exam in a month! Wouldn’t it be so nice for a little get-away? John decided to take Alicia on a weekend day hike, just to get away from the city and spend some much needed time in the forest together. We found a new area to hike near Placitas, NM in the Sandia mountains. The hike began with deserty terrain in the foothills, climbing elevation into the mountains. As we gained more elevation, the terrain turned steep and rocky as the trail turned into a washway between the hills. The Sandia Mountains have two main layers; we hiked all the way up to the top of the first layer and the trail broke through to a beautiful, green valley between the two mountains. The weather was a little chilly and cloudy, with a mist moving through the forest. We stopped for a rest and to take in the scenery. Sitting there for a while, we were starting to get cold and it was time to go. As Alicia turned around to start packing up, John says “Hey Alicia!” Not expecting anything, she turns around and John is down on one knee! John asks for us to continue our life journey together and continue our wonderful adventures with each other by our side. Alicia said “Yes! You know I will!” And yes, of course I cried!