Haley and Alex grew up twenty minutes from each other, but didn't meet until they moved to Malibu. Their first class at Pepperdine University was public speaking, and Alex sat behind Haley. When they were assigned a speech about something they love, Haley did her speech about her love for her home in Colorado. When she sat down, Alex tapped her on the shoulder and whispered, "hey! I'm from Colorado!" Alex then stood and did his speech about his greatest love, the gym (of course!) When he sat down, Haley turned around and whispered, "hey! I like the gym too!" They smiled, Alex put his number in her phone, and they became friends.

Haley and Alex enjoyed a few years of friendship-- they were gym buddies, and they would regularly enjoy meals while discussing their faiths, their families, their goals and their aspirations. After two years of friendship, it came time for them to part ways for their semesters studying abroad. Haley traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Alex flew to London, England. They became penpals, and would talk almost every day. With the time difference, Haley was going to bed when Alex was waking up, but speaking to each other always made them feel a little closer to home. One weekend, Haley took a backpacking trip to Ushuaia, the southern-most tip of South America. The views were beautiful, but the weather was cold and rainy. One day, she and her hiking companion got lost for hours and couldn't find their way back to the trail. Haley remembers thinking "I just wish I could get back so I could talk to Alex..." and at that moment, she realized he was much more than a penpal. After their semester apart, they flew home to Denver and Alex met Haley at the airport. When Haley came up the escalator, they saw each other... and knew.

Months before the actual proposal, Alex and Haley had planned to make it to two weddings, in Washington then San Diego, at the end of September. Having not been back to Malibu since they graduated in April of 2018, Haley thought it would be fun to drive up the coast and visit the places where their relationship began. Alex knew that was his perfect opportunity. Alex also knew that he had to have a very important talk before any real planning could begin. So one rainy Sunday afternoon, while Haley and her mom were out of town, Alex approached Haley’s dad with a question over a steak dinner. And for three hours, Alex and Mr.Smith spoke about the importance of faith, family, commitment, and trust. And ultimately, Alex asked for his blessing, and it was received. Then began the planning of the actual proposal. Alex wanted it to be simple, yet beautiful. Isolated, but out in God’s great world. After a little research, the perfect Malibu beach location was selected. And despite the original plans for the trip having to change, Alex convinced Haley that a trip to Malibu was still a necessity. After Alex made sure that the plans were in place for a surprise party upon their return as an engaged couple, they left for California. Haley and Alex had a great weekend visiting old friends, all the while, a certain box was tucked away at the bottom of his backpack. By the time Sunday evening came around, Alex could hardly speak for the nerves of what was about to happen. Taking their sushi dinner down to the water’s edge, Alex set out the food and told Haley he wanted some pictures of her on the beach at sunset. She was ready for sushi, but agreed. With her standing facing the ocean, Alex knelt down and pulled the box from his pocket. They were both so stunned that Alex almost forgot the question he was down on a knee to ask. Fortunately, he remembered his line in time, and she said yes. They then returned home to a house full of family and friends, waiting to share their joy.