Ben and Kelsey met on February 13, 2021 at a Pacific Beach meeting of a ministry called Christian Surfers. Ben had just gotten out of the water, and Kelsey was hanging out on the beach. After a mutual friend introduced the two, they chatted for a few minutes–sparks flew, and later that day, Ben followed Kelsey on Instagram. ;) Three weeks later, they serendipitously ended up on a hiking trip together in the Sierra Mountains. Kelsey was impressed by “mountain Ben,” especially when he gave her a liter of water after she ran out. Ben eventually got the chance he’d been waiting for to talk to Kelsey one-on-one on the hike back. Their conversation left them both smitten! Fast-forward one month, and Kelsey and Ben crossed paths again a couple of days before Easter. After discovering that neither of them were going on a group trip to Mexico the following weekend with friends, they and a handful of others decided to organize a full day of activities in San Diego for the following Saturday. Saturday morning: Only Kelsey and Ben were game for an early morning surf, so they met up, just the two of them. Sparks were really flying now and after getting tacos with a couple of friends, Ben asked Kelsey if she wanted to take a walk on the beach, right where they met two months earlier. Finally, Ben asked Kelsey if he could hold her hand and the rest is history! It was a "when you know, you know" kind of moment <3 Over the next three months, Ben and Kelsey: - Spent five weeks apart, while Ben was on workups in preparation for his deployment. - Said "I love you," looked at rings, and got engaged! - Visited Catalina Island twice–once by boat, and once by plane! - Ate LOTS of tacos, laughed, surfed, and spent time with their community. On August 13th, Ben left on his first deployment. It's tough to be apart, but they've been able to communicate via email, phone, and occasional FaceTime. They're SO excited to get to be together again...to get married...and to celebrate with you!