El Segundo, California. September 1998. Two young kids walk into their first day of kindergarten at St. Anthony’s School, accompanied by their parents. A once-in-a-lifetime moment seemed so ordinary, and yet, what transpired over the next 24 years was anything but. The Carbajal’s, anxious to drop Rubén off, who, admittedly had some mommy-attachment issues, and the Aceves’, dropping off their youngest, Jennifer, knowing she was in good hands and preparing to be daytime empty-nesters. It didn’t take long for Rubén to report to mom and dad that he had found the love of his life at the tender age of 5. “She has gold hair, mom!” Some parents may have laughed it off or ignored such comment altogether, but the Carbajal parents knew there was something special there. As Rubén and Jenny grew older and moved from class to class, it seemed to be destiny at some point. Rubén, who had largely been ignored by Jenny up until 4th grade, finally got a win. In his 4th grade yearbook, on the inside of the back cover, Jenny wrote: “Rubén, have a great summer. You are cute. If you want to talk to me about us, call me. My number is (***) ***-****. You are a great friend and you are funny! xoxo, Jenny.” (Editing-Jen here - he didn’t call me). Rubén may as well have started shopping for a ring and saving for a wedding venue and house down payment, he was that excited. But as we all know, the most special and precious things in life are worth waiting for. (continued below)

Fast forward (skipping a few rejections along the way), and we find Rubén and Jen in June 2020, still friends, albeit some shyness and awkwardness. Rubén was fresh off a break-up and Jen was curious about what could be between them, but she knew that in this moment, Rubén needed a friend. So, she waited. She even helped Rubén set up his Hinge profile (which Rubén secretly used to try and find Jen so he had an excuse to hit on her). After a few months, their friendship had become stronger than ever. They talked about life, what they wanted their individual futures to look like, and how they wanted to find partners who aligned with their ideals and values. This is the part where, if this were a TV show, the audience would be like “BRO, Y’ALL ARE RIGHT IN FRONT OF EACH OTHER!” Trust us, we knew, but again, the most special and precious things in life are worth waiting for. Because his last couple attempts at hitting on Jen were met with rejection, Rubén had to be certain Jen was on the same page. She was most certainly was on the same page, but she stayed patient, until she couldn’t be patient any longer. “Mira mira, im just gonna put this out there. I’m crushing on you.” Rubén read it again. “Im crushing on you.” He read it again and again. It was a wrap, and as the days and dates went by, it became more and more clear that this was their path. The conversations about life continued, the conversations about individual goals began to include each other, and the conversations about finding a partner turned into “I’m so lucky to have you.” For Rubén, there was no question that he was going to marry Jen, and she felt the same. And so, on October 11, 2021, Rubén asked Jenny the question he had always dreamt of asking. 23 years later, the girl with the golden hair and the boy with mommy-attachment issues solidified their futures with one another, proving that the most special and precious things in life are worth waiting for.