We’re getting married!

I met her at a volleyball game. We were both there watching, and a mutual friend introduced us—"Hey, this is my friend." We started talking, and within minutes I realized: she spoke Spanish, she was easy to talk to, and there was something about her I couldn't quite put into words yet. I just knew I wanted to keep talking to her. We ended up at the same church, and what started as casual hellos after service turned into coffee that stretched into three-hour conversations. She'd challenge my theology, share her own faith journey, and somehow make deep discussions about Christ feel natural and exciting. She loved the outdoors. She was brilliant. She made me laugh. She was everything I'd been praying for. But I was terrified to say it out loud. What if I ruined the friendship? What if she didn't feel the same way? So we stayed friends. Good friends. For 2-3 years of "what ifs" and "almosts." There were moments I thought we were heading somewhere, then nothing. She moved away, and I convinced myself I'd missed my shot. That maybe I'd imagined the whole thing. I was ready to move on. Then she invited me to be her plus one at a wedding. Just friends, right? That's what friends do. But something shifted that night. Watching another couple make forever promises, stealing glances across the reception, finally being brave enough to stop pretending—it all came together. Turns out, she'd been waiting too. We'd just both been too scared to go first. Now we're planning our own wedding. The girl I met at a volleyball game, who spoke Spanish and loved Jesus and checked every single box I didn't even know I had? She's about to become my wife.