We met through praying the rosary together in a group after mass. One day while praying, I (Lauren) thought, "I'm interested in this guy and want him to ask me on a date. I think I'll ask him to get ice cream together if he doesn't ask me first." Before I had the chance, James asked me out to coffee. Through our conversations, we found that we aligned on core values. With that came such fun and freedom to be ourselves, revealing the truth and beauty of one another's character.

On one of our first few dates, we set out on a hike at Inspiration Point in the foothills of Santa Barbara. It was a hot summer day and we'd started the unshaded hike too late in the day to keep from getting sunburnt. James and I chatted all the way up between breaths of exhaustion and dehydration. When we reached the lookout, we took in the sight of all of the city, hills, and ocean below. Then James asked, "Would you like a pear?" I thought that if I ate anything while exercising in the heat, that I wouldn't make it down the hill without being sick. I politely declined. At the end of the hike when dropping James off at his apartment, he had suggested that I take a pastry since he wouldn't be able to finish them on his own (a lie if anyone knows James and his love for food). Confused, I asked, "Pastry?" and he explained that he had two bear claw pastries that he brought for us to enjoy together on the hike. I felt so embarrassed that I had misunderstood his offer and English accent earlier and heard "pear" instead of "bear claw". He'd gone to a bakery to pick up what I'd mentioned on another date was my favorite pastry. I was struck by his simple, but thoughtful and intentional gesture and even more so at the fact that I'd so horribly misunderstood it until the end of our date. -Lauren

The Search Retreat weekend last November is one of my favourite memories of Lauren. Lauren had spent months planning the retreat, she had put all of her time and energy into it and she had been so worried that it would not go as planned. The entire weekend was an absolute success, I had an amazing time and being able to share that with Lauren at the end of the weekend was amazing. When we got the chance to see each other at the end of the retreat, we were both so joyful and at peace with one another, it is a memory that I will never forget. In the lead up to the retreat I saw all of Lauren's qualities that make her such an incredible woman and being able to see that side of her character played a vital role in my discernment of marriage. -James