Always on its way - to this.

Before we ever knew what we would become to each other, our lives had already crossed. Years ago, in Michigan, Daniel pulled up to my childhood home on a motorcycle - meeting my parents through my sister Lauren and her now husband Carlos from Eastern Michigan University - long before we had ever met. What felt ordinary then now feels like the beginning of something much bigger. A moment that passed quietly, but was never by chance. Life carried us in different directions. Years unfolded across distance and entirely different lives - Daniel in flight school and service as a Marine pilot, and me in the operating rooms along the East Coast. And somehow, we found our way back - this time as friends, reconnecting in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. In the middle of long hospital shifts and early flights, as the world slowly reopened, Daniel never stopped showing up. No matter the timing, no matter the distance - he was steady, intentional, and certain in a way that quietly changed everything for both of us. What began as simple conversation became something undeniable. That connection turned into action - spontaneous long weekends (and a few questionable “sick days”), miles traveled, and one move after another. Through uncertainty, distance, and trust, we kept choosing each other - again and again - learning our way of what it truly means to build a partnership. Through seasons apart, shaped by duty, service, and deployment, we learned how to love without proximity - to build something real in the in-between. We come from different worlds - Daniel from Rwanda, and Elaine, from suburban Michigan - different rhythms, different traditions. And instead of pulling us apart, those differences taught us how to listen, how to honor one another, and how to grow into something stronger together. And then came the leap - choosing a life together before we had all the answers. San Diego became our runway - our landing place. Here, by the ocean - our paradise, everything we had been building finally found its rhythm. A home filled with light, laughter, and the sweet chaos of pups Gandalf and Lumi at our feet. A space that reflects not just where we are, but everything it took to get here. This life - our life - is built on persistence, faith, and a kind of love that never let distance or timing get in the way. Not by chance. Just time, finally catching up to us.