Our story started long before either of us realized it was actually our story. Back at Monte Vista High School, I was a shy freshman getting dropped off every morning by my dad in his small, bright red Audi. In the next parking lot was John, a confident junior who drove himself to school in his red truck. At the time we were just two students heading to school like everyone else. What we didn’t know yet was that we lived only a few streets away from each other in Prunedale. Almost every morning, somehow, we ended up at the exact same intersection on the way to school. At first it was just coincidence… but eventually it became a silent competition. Our streets would merge onto the main drag on Dolan road and suddenly we were both trying to beat each other to the next stop sign like it was the Monaco Grand Prix of Prunedale. My dad and I would laugh to each other in the little Audi while John’s truck rumbled next to us . Neither of us ever actually said “let’s race,” but somehow we both clearly understood the assignment. The funny part? I was way too shy to ever roll down the window and say hi. But my dad had absolutely no problem with that. One morning he casually got out of the car in the parking lot, reached out, and shook John’s hand right there like they were long-lost friends. Just like that, introductions were made whether I was ready or not. I ran away of course too shy to say hi at that moment. From then on, John and I started talking more at school and slowly became friends. As high school does, the years moved quickly. John graduated first, and eventually I graduated from Monte Vista too. Life kept moving forward and for a while our paths went in different directions. But somehow, they kept finding their way back to each other. One day at Monterey Peninsula College, after both of our classes had ended, we ran into each other in passing. What started as a quick “hey, how have you been?” slowly turned into another routine, running into each other in the library almost every day. We’d sit there for hours talking about life, our goals, our faith, and everything in between… and every once in a while we actually studied too. Then COVID happened, and like so many friendships during that time, we slowly lost touch. Until one day, completely out of the blue, I went to pick up best friend at the time and John was actually her neighbor. Just hearing his name brought back so many memories and reminded me how much I had always appreciated our friendship. So in the summer of 2023, we reconnected. Our first date was supposed to be simple just a small outing to Topgolf. Nothing too serious. But somehow that one date turned into something we both wanted more of. Soon we started meeting every Sunday, and before long those Sundays became something we both looked forward to all week. Looking back now, it’s impossible not to notice the pattern. The same intersection. The same school. The same college library. Somehow, throughout different seasons of life, we kept finding our way back to each other. We truly believe God was gently guiding our paths all along allowing us time to grow individually, spiritually and personally, before bringing us back together at the right moment. Now we can’t imagine another season of losing touch. Instead, we’re choosing to move forward together growing in faith, building a life side by side, and trusting that the same God who kept bringing us together will walk with us through every chapter still to come. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" ~Genesis 2:24 "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together. Let not man separate" ~ Matthew 19:6