Sometimes the most beautiful love stories unfold exactly when they’re meant to. Kelly and James first crossed paths in 1985 at NCA Collegiate Cheer Camp. James noticed Kelly right away, but while he may have tried a little flirting, Kelly didn’t quite catch on. In fact, friends jokingly warned him to stay away because she was known as a “sweet little Christian girl.” On the last night of camp, James went looking for Kelly hoping to see her before everyone left. When he learned she had stayed in her dorm room, he even waited outside hoping she might come out—but she never did. For years afterward, their paths would cross occasionally at NCA staff meetings in Dallas, yet their story never seemed to begin. Until 37 years later….. God stepped in. Kelly was judging a cheer competition in Myrtle Beach when, at the last minute, she was asked by Shannon Smith to return the following week to judge Spirit Sports after another judge had to back out. She had no idea that James would be running the event. After the judges’ meeting, Kelly walked up and said, “You probably don’t remember me…” Without missing a beat, James smiled and said, “Kelly Cox.” That evening, James and Shannon invited the judges up for a small celebration. Kelly almost didn’t go, but her longtime friend and roommate, Gina Reed, encouraged her to stop by. What happened next changed everything. As they talked for hours, they felt an instant connection—as if they were the only two people in the room. Looking back, we truly believe this was God’s perfect timing. If another judge hadn’t backed out and Shannon hadn’t asked, Kelly would never have been there that weekend. If Gina hadn’t encouraged her to go upstairs, she might have missed the moment that began their love story. James’ persistence proved that even the distance between Texas and Kentucky couldn’t keep them apart. Two years later, Kelly moved to Louisville, and their love story finally found its perfect beginning—just as God had planned. Now when we look back, we see what we couldn’t see then. The missed moment outside a dorm room in 1985. The years of crossing paths but never quite connecting. The last-minute request asking Kelly to judge one more competition. A friend’s encouragement to go to a gathering she almost skipped. What once seemed like coincidence was anything but. We believe God was quietly orchestrating every step, patiently bringing two lives back together at exactly the moment they were meant to meet again. And now, we feel like we have 37 years of time to make up for. We want to take advantage of every day and every opportunity to enjoy the life God has given us together. Because looking back, it’s clear our story was never about chance. It was about timing. God’s timing. And now… our forever finally begins.