It all started in high school, my junior year, her senior year. I was fresh out of home schooling, so I wasn’t the most social individual of the bunch. She was a shy student who often had trouble initiating conversation. But one thing we had in common was that we were in the same choir class, a class that you would think had many students. But alas, there were 4 of us in total. But that means that we had a greater chance of interacting, right? We exchanged words one time that entire year. She eventually graduated and I moved on; nothing came of it. What I never could’ve expected was the seed that was planted which would later grow into something beautiful. When I was in college, I started attending a church group for college students with my best friend. I knew nobody there, except one girl that looked familiar. I came to learn that it was the same girl from my choir class. As my best friend and I started getting to know people and make friends, we were invited to go out with a group of friends. The same girl that I recognized was there, and that eventually got us to finally interact. Her name was Maddie, and this was the start of a growing friendship that grew over the course of two years. We talked about many things like high school, Star Wars, nostalgia, and family. Through it all, she was just a friend I knew from church. Throughout college, I always had a desire to find a significant other. It was something that I prayed for a lot, but it started to feel like there wasn’t anybody for me at college or church. However, the Lord decided to prove me wrong as seemingly overnight I caught feelings for one girl in particular, and that was Maddie. I had always seen her as a friend, and I never expected feelings for her. However, those feelings were there and very real, so I knew it was time to start acting on it. That led to many conversations, wanting to be with her more, and even planning events with friends. That’s when we discovered that we made a really good team. After several more fun experiences together as friends, I got the courage to ask her to dinner platonically. The night went well and the food was good, but the conversation was so much richer. I knew that night I had to suck it up and ask her on an official date. As I stuttered my words nervously, Maddie gave me a certain look. That was the look of a woman who was waiting in anticipation to be asked out, and I knew it. That gave me the courage to get my words out, and of course she said yes. When that day came, it was filled with laughter, flowers, big smiles, a movie, some ice cream, and lots of prayer beforehand. At the end of the night, I asked her to be my girlfriend, and in real time I saw my prayers answered as she accepted my offer. The adventures we had from that point on could be another story in itself. To sum it up, it was a time of fun dates, many late-night conversations, tons of jokes, and so on and so forth. It hadn’t even been a full year before I knew that I wanted to marry this girl. This led to the start of planning and anticipation as I decided to propose to her on an upcoming family vacation. Specifically, a family vacation at the beach. The setting would be gorgeous, it would be romantic, it was the perfect plan! Eventually that time came; a moment full of nerves, schemes, and a small amount of harmless deceit. However, as I held that ring out in front of me, diamond sparkling from the reflection of the sunset, I saw the most wonderful look of joy and surprise on her face, and I knew it was all worth it. From that point on, Maddie and I are planning for the best day ever, awaiting the time that we say, “I do.” I love our story because it shows that the best and richest kinds of love can happen with the person you least expect. The best part is that such a beautifully written love story wasn’t our doing, but it was written by the One who brought Maddie and I together.