It all started in 2012. Tamara was 8. Caleb was 9. Our cousins from Milwaukee became friends with a family from church and invited them to spend Christmas with us in Marietta, Georgia. That family was Tamara’s — along with her big brother, Junior, and little sister, Aniyah. That Christmas was filled with Nerf gun battles, Just Dance competitions, and the kind of joy only kids can create. And then, just like that, they went home. Caleb and Tamara wouldn’t see each other again for nine years. Fast forward to Christmas 2021. The same cousins were back in town. One afternoon at a restaurant, Caleb’s cousin Matthew was on the phone and suddenly called out, “Caleb, remember that girl who came all those years ago? This is her.” Caleb looked at the screen… and all he could see was a forehead. He asked her to lift the camera. When she did, his first thought was simple: Wow. She’s beautiful. He got her Snapchat… and never texted. Thankfully, Tamara did. From that message on, they never really stopped talking. Weekly FaceTimes turned into hours-long conversations despite the 2-hour time difference between Georgia and Colorado. Text threads held multiple conversations at once. Over the next eight months, friendship quietly turned into something deeper. Eventually, Caleb flew to Milwaukee to see if the girl on the screen was really who she seemed to be. She was — and more. Out of respect for her father’s wishes, they waited until she turned 18 to officially begin dating. They spent nearly two years growing together — navigating one year of college long-distance and another together at Oral Roberts University. Then came a hard season. For four months, they stepped away as the Lord led them into a time of consecration and personal growth. There were jars of tears, hard conversations, awkward moments, and deep wrestling with God. What felt like the end was actually the closing of one chapter — not their story. God was doing a new work in each of them. On Valentine’s Day 2025, they found their way back to each other — stronger, surrendered, and more certain than ever. That year was marked by healing, growth, and a love that bore lasting fruit. Exactly one year later, on Valentine’s Day, Caleb proposed — a declaration of sacrificial commitment and forever love. Now, less than three months away from “I do,” they can see what God was writing all along. This is just the beginning. Come what May.🤍