G & A
Our Story
Her Side
I always knew who Geo was because the SyroMalabar community was well connected on Facebook, so it was hard to miss the antics the Houston guys were always up to. Whether it was the video of him dancing to One Direction at a DYLG conference or various youth group videos where he was acting like a fool, this guy definitely had caught my attention. I guess his humor and comfort level with showing this side of himself was what made me wonder about him in the first place. Our first (cyber) encounter was the summer of 2015, when both of us were coincidentally connected in a group chat together for a Syro conference. I knew who he was and he definitely knew who I was, but of course we had to act like we didn’t knew each other. We are millennials after all, who need to make this whole dating thing difficult. What I didn’t know was that my cousin Ashley, and Geo’s friend Geordie, were conspiring behind the scenes to set us up.
...
Leave it to Geo to drop into my DMs in the safest way possible. He acted like he was contacting me concerning the conference, and well, I guess you could say the rest is history. Although we were 1,500+ miles away from each other, we connected instantly. Not knowing whether we could brave the distance or possibly hop on a flight whenever to see each other were all factors. But we took a risk, and I’m so glad we did. 4 years later, I said yes to the love of my life, and here we are, ready to start a new beginning that doesn’t involve thousands of miles between us. I would be lying if I said the distance didn’t cause a few rifts in our relationship, but sometimes, I can’t help but go back and read those messages from Summer 2015 (packed with whatever cringeworthy flirting we had to offer). It’s a reminder of God’s plan of why we happened, how we comforted each other in the toughest of times, how we learned from each other, and why we will be together always.
His Side
Anita “don’t-need-no-man” George was infamous to me because my first actual interaction with her was via prank call, which she didn’t know at the time. Along with my friends, Clement and Josh, we made up a nonsense story to keep her on the phone. She came off as unamused at first, but I couldn’t help but wonder why she stayed on the call for so long. This was also around the time we were planning a conference here in Texas, which both of us happened to be on the marketing committee for. My friend, Geordie, tried to set us up by tricking me into thinking Anita was interested in me. Not really questioning it, I believed him and proceeded to slide into her DMs. Coming off as professional, I asked her something conference related. She surprised me by questioning if I had prank called her a few days earlier. I had to think fast and tried to deny it...Those Facebook messages turned into phone calls, which would then turn into video calls.
...
About two months later, my family was hit with the tragedy of my sister's passing. It was a difficult time for us, and a relationship was the last thing on my mind. One thing that stood out about Anita was her support while I took my time to get back to being stable. We wouldn't see each other for another 8 months, which is when I realized that if she was willing to do this much for me before we even met, I could only imagine the impact she could have on the rest of my life. We finally met in Spring 2016, and the rest is history! When Anita first came into my life, I realized how much we had in common. Through my sister’s passing, I realized I had a friend to lean on. As my girlfriend, I realized how important growth was. As my fianceé, we both understood that everything happens for a reason. I can only imagine how life will be with Anita as my wife, and I'm beyond excited for it! God knew exactly what He was doing, and I can't thank Him enough for helping me find my soulmate.
Our Guardian Angel
We know that our Guardian Angel has always been watching over us in our relationship, and will continue to do so when we become husband and wife. We want to remember Maria Chechi during this time.