Thank you for sharing in our journey

On March 5th 2022, our lives changed for the better. Though we initially met around 2015 and had seen each other in passing, we’d never stopped to connect in a deeper way. We often found ourselves sharing the same spaces, but God was writing our own stories separately. We didn't know it yet, but we were both praying for the spouses God would send us to continue the next chapter of our lives. Lydia: March 5th was a chilly day that felt very ordinary, but it was special for many reasons. We both found ourselves at a church service (*surprise surprise*) sitting a few rows away from each other. I waved at Justin, and he waved back! I found out later that he was actually waving to the person directly behind me and didn’t see me at all. But, after service, that *fake* wave gave me the confidence to approach him and say “hi”, cheerfully. Justin: At that point, I saw Lydia–who happened to be wearing her COVID mask– and I noticed that she had really pretty eyes. I knew that I had to stay in contact. Before I left the service, I saw Lydia again and she was sitting by herself waiting to leave. I casually walked up to her and said, “Bye, be safe! I’ll talk to you soon!”. She had no idea that I had intended to reach out later. Neither of us knew that we wouldn’t miss a day of conversation after that. Lydia: Later that night, Justin slid into my DMs. Justin: I didn’t slide. I sent a respectful message :) Lydia: *eye roll* Justin: Anyway, after speaking everyday for about 2 weeks, I decided to make my move. There was a new Batman movie out, and I built up the courage to ask her to go with me. I was very confident that she would say yes because we’d been speaking every single day. This is the best part of the story, she said “no”...! (womp womp) Lydia: So, at that point I had only seen Justin as a friend. And, I also didn’t like Batman that much, so I told him that he should take someone that likes Batman. Justin: She told me, and I quote, that she didn’t “see me romantically” and that she hoped her “friendship was enough”. In my head I thought “well I guess it’s gonna have to be”. Lydia: Moving on. Justin became my best friend. We texted all day and spoke on the phone late nights for four months. I told him everything and he helped me through some really hard moments. He was a friend when I needed one. So, by the time his birthday came in June, I was ready for the next step. Justin: We spent the day together. On the night of my birthday, I knew that I had to revisit our initial conversation of my interest in her. The stakes were high. It was now or never. When I dropped her off at her house, before she got out of the car I had to tell her, “I just want you to know that my feelings about you haven’t changed, and I would love to have the opportunity to pursue you”. Lydia: So, the night of Justin’s birthday, I’d had the intention of telling him how I felt about him. I was hyping myself in the bathroom of the restaurant where we had dinner. I was gonna do it! So, then we pulled up in front of my house and... I chickened out. But Justin, being as bold as ever, said that he would “love the opportunity to pursue me”. And, all I could say was, “I think I’ll let you do that”. And the rest is history. Six months of dating and an engagement ring later, we are excited for what the future holds. From the beginning, God was in our story and He’ll be the One to write the rest. And to this day, Justin has not seen that Batman movie.