In his words: Rebekah loves when I tell the story of how we met. Mind you, she and I have a different account of the evening we first crossed paths as well as who initiated the first “date” (she did). First Meeting: It was a brisk February night in Baltimore, MD in 2021. A mentor of mine was in town, and we decided to catch up over a meal at one of my go-to spots in the city. We sat a couple tables away from two women (one being Rebekah) who were celebrating a birthday. At some point during the evening conversation struck up between the tables. I will admit, I was initially a bit cold as my priority for the evening was to catch up with my mentor and enjoy some good eats, and to me these women were a distraction. The topic of conversation then took a turn to sneakers, probably after I mentioned what I do for work. Anyone who knows me; knows I can talk footwear all day any day. So naturally I geeked out about it and probably got too technical around the questions I was asking. If you ask me, I was being engaging, thoughtful and astute. To Rebekah I was being extra, turgid, and a bit of an a$$. As the evening came to an end, we said are goodbyes, not to cross paths again for another eight months. Second Meeting: Months after the initial meeting we developed a rapport on social media where I would recommend local restaurants that she hadn’t yet been to. (It makes sense now as to why we get along because our taste level for aesthetics and food are very aligned.) After a few months of that I think she started to get a bit antsy as to why I only recommended places for her to go but never alluded to joining her. One evening she strongly hinted at wanting to meet by telling me about a spot she was checking out in the city later that evening. I was a bit unsure but decided to meet up. It ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced meeting someone for the first time and feeling instant comfort and vulnerability with someone. She was genuine, loving, transparent and most importantly a safe space. Apparently, I must’ve shown her a different side of me because that interaction was the catalyst for where we are today. Thank you God, you’re so good. In her words:   Now for what really happened…I’ll keep this brief:   I was out having dinner and celebrating a friend’s birthday at one of my favorite restaurants in Baltimore when we initially crossed paths.  At some point our tables began conversing and we got on the topic of ‘shoes’ – all I remember is being slightly annoyed at the extremely detailed and probing questions that Yurri kept asking when either of us expressed our ‘favorite shoe’ (i.e. what brand, what type, what type of heel) – I mean who does that??   A few weeks later Yurri found me on social media and friend requested me.   It would be months later until we actually had sparked some convo and had a chance to really connect again.  I was out celebrating another friend’s birthday in DC - while on my way home he had inquired about my plans for the balance of the evening.  I told him where I was headed, he of course joined…and the rest is history!   …but one thing he did get right – God certainly is good!