Our story began on August 12, 2002 at Hendrick Middle School in Plano, Texas. It was the first day of Sixth Grade and we were getting lockers for the first time ever! Because Valker comes before Villanueva, Mary was assigned the top locker and Mario the one beneath it. As we all know, Mary has never been very tall and could not properly reach the top locker. Mario noticed immediately and without hesitation offered her the bottom locker. That small act of kindness marked the beginning of something neither of them could have imagined. They became friends all through middle school and high school, even though they had different friend groups. Life eventually led them down different paths. Mary pursued her college degree in Chicago, while Mario committed five years of service to the United States Marine Corps. Even when their journeys took them in different directions, the foundation they built as kids never disappeared. They both eventually ended up back and Dallas, where they started to develop a relationship beyond just friendship. Over the past eleven years they have built a beautiful life in Dallas. They are the proud parents of two incredible children, Sebastian (4) and Sophia (2), and cherish family time above all else. During the Thanksgiving 2025 Cowboy’s halftime show, while everyone was gathered in the front yard for family photos, Mario popped the question. As he had previously said to John, Mary’s father, the moment was long overdue! And now, they are overjoyed to celebrate the next chapter of their story — surrounded by the family and friends who have been part of it from the very beginning.