Our story began three years ago… When I first met Sofia, I had traveled from Grass Valley, California, to Phoenix, Arizona, for my oldest sister's graduation from ASU. While visiting the SPO women’s house to see my sister and meet some of her friends, I met Sofia briefly for the first time as we were heading out to the pool. The trip continued, and we didn’t cross paths again before I headed back to California—completely unaware that I had just met my future wife. Life went on, and about a year and a half later, after I graduated high school, I moved to Phoenix. Adjusting to life in a new city was tough. I struggled with living alone in my apartment, going to school, working long hours at my new job, and trying to make new friends. I trusted in God's plan, not realizing that my future wife was just 30 minutes down the street. When my lease was coming to an end, I found myself without a place to live. Fortunately, my sister Annie had some friends at the SPO men’s house and was able to get me a spot in one of the men’s houses—just two minutes down the street from Sofia. According to my dad, the best place to find a wife was at a catholic community because it's full of catholic women with strong Catholic values. Turns out, he was right. I had mentioned Sofia to my dad a few times, and he had met her as well. I always told him that she looked like a Disney princess, and ever since then, her nickname became “The Disney Princess.” Being a car mechanic, I figured I could find an excuse to talk to her by helping with her car. My sister, Ali, asked if I could do an oil change for her, and I agreed. After working on her car and missing every opportunity to ask her out, I still didn’t do it. Then Ali mentioned that Sofia was single and that she might be into me. At that moment, my whole world changed. I already had Sofia’s number from when I worked on her car, so I offered to give her a ride to work on my lunch break. When I picked her up, we stopped to get drinks and pizza from QT (yes… the gas station). I was nervous all morning about this little QT trip, knowing it was my moment to ask her on a date. I mustered up every ounce of courage I had—and she said yes! That was the start of the rest of my life. Our first date was dinner at Perfect Pear Bistro, followed by froyo. I had the best time. The next day, my sister Annie asked how the date went, and I told her, "I’m going to marry Sofia if she lets me." I had quickly fallen in love with Sofia, never expecting that she would feel the same way just as fast. I had never been with someone who brought me so much closer to God and prioritized putting Him at the center of our relationship. Some of our dates turned into going to an adoration chapel to pray together, where we were able to discern the next steps for our relationship. After dating my best friend and the love of my life for eight months, I knew I wanted to propose and spend the rest of my life with her. My official plan was to propose in Brazil. Secretly, I gathered the phone numbers of Sofia’s friends in Brazil to help me plan the perfect proposal. With their help, on January, 3rd, 2025, I asked Sofia Andrade to be my wife. Of course, the day after I proposed, I woke up around 10 a.m. and went into Sofia’s room—only to find her already planning our wedding, just 10 hours after I had popped the question. Since then, we've seen our venue, started marriage prep, and done some photo shoots. The moral of the story? Have good sisters with good friends—and always listen to your dad. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with Sofia. — Evan McDaniel