I remember deciding to go out last minute with a couple of friends. I was on vacation and had not done anything the whole week off and that Saturday night would have been my last opportunity before work resumed. When I arrived, the place was not all that great and I was thinking about leaving. As I looked toward the exit I noticed a friend of mine whom I graduated with. She was accompanied by about 7 friends. She and her entourage of friends were all “dolled up” except or this one who took my breath away as she walked in. There stood this gorgeous woman, very confidant and comfortable with herself. While the rest of her friends were dressed up as princesses, she looked amazing it with merely jeans and a blouse on. I honestly admired her independence and she displayed to me a lot of strength and confidence. At this point, there was no chance I would leave until I got to meet her. I remembered while being introduced to everyone, I went through the motions eagerly looking forward to meet this stunning individual. When I finally met her, she told me her name was Lissette which I thought was almost as pretty as her. I remember thanking God that she was the last one of the friends I got to meet as it seemed natural to continue talking with her after with no interruptions. We seemed to gravitate to one another that night, almost to the point where we spent very little time with our friends we actually went there with. We danced all night and got to know each other better. I found out that we both enjoyed dancing, playing sports (basketball in particular) and we both recently graduated six months earlier. We made a connection that night and soon started texting and spending time with each other regularly. We started playing basketball as well as working out together. Early on, I knew I had a special person in my life that I was crazy about. She was sweet, caring, driven to succeed and most importantly she feared God.

We did a month challenge where we would see who had the best abs at the end of the month. We both did great transforming our bodies and I knew that with her by my side there’s nothing we couldn’t accomplish together. This was perfect, as I knew we’d push each other to be great at whatever we did. The weekend after the challenge was completed we had our official first date from her opinion. I believed that all the times we ran, worked out and played ball were dates too but she doesn’t see it that way. We dressed up and I must say for how good she looked all the time she looked even more amazing that night. From that time on, there hasn’t been a birthday, holiday or any significant event where we weren’t together. We’ve travel around this country her and me enjoying our lives together along the way. I can truly say that I met her while on vacation and I haven’t been back since.

Larry’s eyes and smile definitely caught my attention when I first met him. That night I went out with a group of friends and I remember spending more time with him instead. He was very thoughtful and respectful to me all night long. As the night went on I remember being pulled by my girls so that we can enjoy the night. Larry stayed persistent as we continued dancing throughout the night, so much that I had to be mindful that my friends wouldn’t leave without me. OHHH I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT HE CAN DANCE!!! Weird thing for an American ha-ha! Before I left, he asked me if he could have my number because we talked about getting together to play basketball. So as I was getting ready to give him my number, he realized he did not have his phone with him (I’m pretty sure it was dead like it still always is lol) so I told him to text himself from my phone that way he can have my number. A little after I got home I remember getting a text from him saying how he did not want to wait to let me know that he enjoyed his time with me and he thought I was gorgeous. The next day we started texting and he, being thoughtful again asked to add me on Facebook; I thought he was the sweetest for doing so. We started seeing each other pretty much every day. We played basketball as well as exercised together. As we started spending more time together I realized that he had a lot of qualities that I’ve always wanted in a husband. I’ve always wanted a guy who was a Christian, someone who was educated, have similar values as me, who would be open to understanding my culture and who would support me in my career. I knew he had a lot of them but I was not sure if he was a Christian. One night after playing basketball the subject came up and I asked him if he believed in God. He not only told me that he believed in God but he also shared some of the reasons why he believes in God. I knew then that God put him in my life for a reason.

I started praying and asked God to show me where to take our “friendship”. The more I prayed the better I felt about dating him. One night when we were running, he asked me if I wanted to have dinner; he had ask this before but for some reason it did not feel right until now and I said yes, let’s have dinner. Our first date was pretty sweet! He was a complete gentleman. He opened my door every place and his attention was all on me. Once again, we had a great night and this was the beginning of many to come. As time went on I learned more about him; his caring, funny and loving personality came afloat and I started falling in love with him little by little.Falling for him ultimately became easy because of how he treats me, talks with me, supports and encourages me to be a better person- that makes me feel like I can take over the world with him by my side. His resilience, positive attitude and kind heart ultimately won me over. He always finds a way to make me laugh and has a great attitude. I am a firm believer that actions speak louder than words and that is exactly what Larry did. He showed me that he was a person that I can always count on and reminds me that if God is by our side who can be against us.

On February 11th 2017, knowing that he’d found the person he couldn't live without, Larry proposed to Lissette. The proposal happened in the living room of Lissette’s studio apartment. Larry got down on his knees with roses in one hand and a ring in the other. He asked her if she would give him the pleasure of making him the happiest man in the world. She said yes! During this time, there were a lot of uncertainty in both Lissette and Larry’s lives. The one thing that was certain was their love for each other. They both knew that no matter what they were going through, they had each other at the end of the day. We believe people can spend a lifetime looking for that one special person who’ll be there through the ups and downs. It’s a blessing to find that person who truly loves your soul; this is what we’ve found in one another. We look forward to celebrating with all of you in October 13th this year in Lima, Peru. Be ready to turn up!