After weeks of late-night phone calls and long FaceTimes that neither of them wanted to end, Danielle and Ethan finally met in person on February 18, 2023, in Laguna Beach. When Ethan picked Danielle up that evening, there was a quiet nervousness, but even more than that, there was peace. From the very first hug, it felt like coming home. They put their name in for dinner and decided to walk down for gelato while they waited. Sitting together, watching the sun slip into the ocean, they talked the way they always had, easily and honestly, as if no time or distance had ever separated them. They took their first photos that night without thinking much of it, just wanting to remember the moment. Looking back, it was the start of everything. When their table was ready, they hurried up the hill hand in hand, laughing the whole way. It was simple and sweet and full of joy. What began as a long-awaited first date became the beginning of a love story grounded in friendship, faith, and the deep, steady certainty that they had found something worth holding onto forever. 💛