forever & ever.

Ethan & Kolby first met their freshman year of college while attending Cal Poly SLO back in 2018. The night they met, they had gone to a line-dancing bar with friends called "The Graduate." After a little bit of time, Ethan noticed Kolby and asked her to dance, fully assuming she knew how to do the dance, while she fully assumed that he did. Neither knew what they were really doing ... they both were actually pretty bad at dancing, but they danced together nonetheless. A couple years had passed by before they reconnected in January of 2021. Ethan was still living in San Luis Obispo (SLO) but Kolby moved back home to Long Beach. He invited her to come visit SLO in March, to visit & be his date to a local dance. She agreed & planned a trip down to go to the dance with him. When the day of the dance rolled around, they spent the whole day visiting coffee shops, thrifting, & getting to know each other on a deeper level. Conversation flowed so naturally, it was warm & comforting & sweet. Lots of giggles & smiles were shared, & it didn't take long for them to realize how much they liked spending time with each other. As the dance came to an end, and neither were ready to say goodnight, Ethan asked Kolby if she wanted to check out a gazebo spot in Pismo Beach. They talked & laughed the whole drive there & then proceeded to slow dance under the stars, to the sound of the nearby ocean waves, & confess their feelings for each other inside what now became their special gazebo spot. As Kolby drove back home to Long Beach the next day, Ethan wrote her a song titled "Poppy Song" that was inspired by a poem she wrote and shared with him. Ethan's sentimental and warm heart would write her many songs in the years to follow... Falling in love, from here on out, felt inevitable in the best way possible. Two years of long distance went by. When they were not spending time together on FaceTime calls or syncing up shows on Netflix, they were most likely visiting each other. The route between Long Beach and SLO became very familiar. Many trips also involved meeting in the middle (in Ventura or Santa Barbara) for day trips. The miles were always worth it. They always just wanted to see each other - if only for a few hours ... even if that meant driving 4 hours "just cause I wanted to have lunch with you today". In August of 2023, long distance finally came to a close. Kolby traveled back "SLOme" in her little '98 Astro van, and the two were finally able to live the dream of being "close-distance". Grocery store runs and errands became the best kind of dates. Every mundane moment felt so magical and joy-filled. This also allowed an opportunity to begin building community together through their church and work. After lots of contemplation and prayer, Ethan was simply overwhelmed at God's goodness as he reflected on his relationship with Kolby. Throughout their relationship, they both challenged each other to love unconditionally like Jesus. It was clear that both Kolby and Ethan looked more like Jesus because they had the other in their lives. On December 8th of 2023, Ethan brought Kolby to their special gazebo spot in Pismo Beach, played her a song titled "Parking Lot Waltz", got down on one knee, and asked Kolby to marry him. On September 20th of 2024, Kolby and Ethan will be wed in Camarillo - a place that serves as a testimony to the days they used to meet in the middle and meet in the middle, they will, forevermore.