They always say, “never say never,” Maddi was quite familiar with the saying and used it several times herself; however, when her brother, Micah, called her up in 2020 to inform her there were eligible bachelors in Mississippi, she would have none of it. Her exact words were, “Do you know me? I would never find a man in Mississippi who would understand my west coast self.” God got a good laugh at that one. One would think that these two paths would’ve crossed sooner. Either during their many visits to Northern California (often missing each other by just a couple of months), or mutual friends. But God’s timing is always perfect and He often uses unassuming resources. After what felt like eternity, God saw it fit to use a mutual friend to merge their paths together. With Corey agreeing to the advice of a well-meaning friend and a little further investigating, he felt at peace pursuing the potential connection. With some coxing in the form of a speech and small presentation from a loving brother and sister-in-love, Maddi also felt at peace pursuing the connection, though she was in the dark about how the connection came about. After a couple of days of texting back and forth, Corey initiated a phone call—the moment Maddi heard his thick Mississippi accent, she never wanted him to stop talking. And stop talking they never did! As the old saying goes, when you know, you know! There were no California girls to be found in Mississippi, or even California, but there was one in New Mexico just for him.