Just like most of the friends we have made in the past, we were introduced through a marching band party. Dylan and I were briefly introduced before we joined together in a few rounds of the one and only Rockband. The first song I sang in front of him was "Nightmare" by the one and only, Avenged Sevenfold. It was a night to remember. At this time, however, neither one of us had intentions of pursuing each other due to being in committed relationships. It wasn't until almost a few years later that we both had become available and were looking to grow as individuals. Dylan and I bonded over a lot of obstacles that we faced, as well as dreams that we shared. It wasn't obvious to us that we fit together so well.. Our friends constantly urged us to date or even just consider whether or not there were feelings present. It simply just wasn't something that we ever fully addressed. Somewhere in the middle of Dylan and I's bonding, he ended up needing to move back to Bakersfield. It was devastating. He had helped me through tremendous amounts of hurt and helped me find myself again, all while being extremely respectful as a genuine friend. On his final day in Fresno, he had intended to stay home and finish packing. He had been invited out by our primary group of friends but chose to decline. It wasn't until I reached out to him that he opened up to taking a quick break, after all, it was ME who reached out; how could he not say "yes"? Funny thing is we ran into a slight hiccup. We wanted to hang out on our own. Upon agreeing, we came up with an entire plan to hide the fact that we were basically going on a date to our best friends out of fear of them.. finding out that we were going on a date?... It sounds odd, but trust me. We came up with a plan and decided to get in line for coffee. This is where it gets good. I made the mistake of keeping my location on - Lauren and I kept each other on Life360 for safety reasons as well as a way to avoid disappointment when either of us were busy. My psychotic best friend decided that I was being suspicious (which I was) and brought Jared, now her boyfriend, and tracked me down. During this time, Dylan and I were simply waiting in line. Lauren was being more odd than usual. I quickly realized my mistake and thus began the panic. Dylan was in the car. MY car. He was SUPPOSED to be at home! We looked at each other and screamed in excitement. Our only solution was to get him hidden somewhere nearby. So what does he do? He leaves my car and runs to an alley behind the shops. This poor guy witnessed a grown man peeing. Once I left the area, I swung around to get him and we quickly came up with yet another plan to convince Lauren and Jared that I had convinced him to hang out with us all. It was possibly the most pointless thing I have ever done, but it made sense. On the way to meet up with our friends, I turned to Dylan and said in a jokingly worried voice, "They're going to think we're dating". "Is it really that bad if they think we are"? he said. I stopped and blushed. It was in that moment that I realized I DID want them to think that, and apparently so did he. You would think at this point he would've asked me out but NO. It wasn't until after he left back to Bakersfield that we actually made progress on that. We would talk on the phone for hours at a time and I would visit him to do silly things such as thrift shopping. After some time, he made his move and kissed me. After that, it was for certain that we were together. Since it all began, Dylan and I have devoted our time to ourselves, each other, and most importantly, God. If it weren't for Him, we wouldn't have made it this far. Our promise to each other has always to focus on God over everything, always. For it is because of His unconditional love that we are able to love each other as much as we do. We're so excited to see how our love continues to grow through Christ as we honor him in this covenant that we are soon to make. Thank you

"He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." - Proverbs 18:22 "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband." - Ephesians 5:22-33