When Talyssa transferred to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2019, she had no idea what the Lord had in store for her. This was a season of life where she was convinced she was at school to focus solely on academics and that she would not be open to dating anyone for the 3 years she was attending college. After struggling to find a community she slowly started attending the Asian American Christian Fellowship (AACF) where she met Travis who was an active member. At first, not much happened between them. Talyssa wasn’t looking to date, and Travis didn’t think it would be a good idea to date during his senior year where a relationship would immediately go long distance after his graduation. So they grew a sweet and intentional friendship filled with moments of awkward bickering and making fun of each other. Around January 2020, Talyssa and Travis got to know each other during carpools where they were able to have intentional conversations about their faith, family, and college struggles. When Covid came around, Talyssa had planned to move back home to be with family during quarantine while Travis stayed in San Luis Obispo. Luckily for Talyssa, this meant that she had a place to store her furniture till she returned to their college town in the Fall. Travis so kindly offered to help move all of Talyssa’s things to his garage which led to them spending the last day before lockdown together. They spent the rainy day showing each other where they attended church, strolling on the beach, adventuring through caves, chatting on swing sets, and finished the day with an impromptu hike after the rain. They got to know each other on a deeper level after this— still with no intention to date in the future. However, both started to grow feelings for each other but thought it didn’t make sense at the time. Shortly after that, Talyssa moved back to her hometown thinking she would not see Travis in a very long time; however, this was just the start of an ever-growing friendship. The spring quarter started online and it was quite difficult for Talyssa and Travis to connect— that is until Travis began streaming games he was playing on a chat platform called Discord. Talyssa would often join the voice calls to watch and help Travis solve puzzles in an escape room game he was playing. This led to them talking a lot virtually, and it was during these times that Talyssa and Travis began to develop feelings for one another. Travis eventually asked Talyssa on a first date in Monterey, but she was convinced that it was not a date and was sure that he didn’t have feelings for her— even though he was quite willing to drive 2 and a half hours to see her. Nevertheless, the mystery date went very well and confirmed Travis’s feelings and so he confessed to Talyssa. They both took a week to think and pray about their intentions, what dating meant to them, and whether this relationship was something that God was calling them toward. In the middle of a worldwide pandemic, they both felt ready to pursue a God-glorifying relationship together— and the rest is history. For 2 and a half years, they endured and navigated a long-distance relationship which brought a lot of difficulties, but far more joys that ultimately strengthened their relationship. After college, Travis found a job in Los Angeles while Talyssa finished up school. After Talyssa graduated from Cal Poly in 2022, she too landed a job in Los Angeles and moved down to be closer to Travis. Since moving to SoCal, Travis and Talyssa have been attending Lighthouse Bible Church L.A. where they have been serving the church together and are loved, nurtured, and counseled by those in the church. Now, Talyssa and Travis have been engaged since September 2023 and will be celebrating their 4th anniversary at the end of this May.