Neil and Sonora had no idea who eachother were before 8/14/2021. Sonora was living in San Diego with her roommate (Nat), and Neil was passing through to say hi to his Grandma Anne and David on his way back to San Antonio from the Bay Area (still completely oblivious to each other's existence). Neil needed a place to stay in San Diego, and Nat (Neil's high school friend) offered up her apartment. "My roommate [Sonora] will be gone on vacation anyway!" she exclaimed. On August 14, 2021, Sonora was on her annual Shelton Family San Clemente Vacation when she got called in to work the next day. She begrudgingly headed back to her apartment, cutting the vacation short. But there was a surprise when she walked in the door. Sonora unlocked the door to find a man sitting on her cheap, small, and uncomfortable couch (with her roommate, Nat, nowhere to be found). "Hi, I'm Neil!" the mystery man exclaimed. She had no clue who this dude was. A quick introduction and explanation later, it turned into a dance party and tequila tasting. The newfound pair stayed up and chatted for 6 hours that night, quickly realizing how much fun they had together. Sonora had to go to work the following day, and Neil had to hit the road back to San Antonio. On his drive, he made sure to message her to say how great it was to meet and to wish her luck in the upcoming year in San Diego. Both realized they did not want the conversation to end! Messages turned into calls and FaceTimes, and a few weeks later, Sonora dared to ask, "So when are you going to visit Nat and I?" cheekily. Five minutes later, Neil had booked his flight back. 46 flights, 1.5 moves across the country, and countless rides on the MBTA later, here we are :)