2: Our Love Story: From Friends to First Kiss & How We Kept God at The Center

Speaker: 00:00:43

Be, but this one is going to be

pretty special because we have

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: 00:00:47

Um, the most wonderful guest,

probably my favorite guest that

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: 00:00:51

I will ever have on the podcast.

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: 00:00:53

Well, I hope so.

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: 00:00:55

Just kidding.

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: 00:00:56

My husband, Trey.

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: 00:00:57

Welcome to Ever Be.

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: 00:00:59

Hello, Ever Be.

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: 00:01:01

Happy to be here.

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: 00:01:01

Thanks for having me.

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: 00:01:02

Yes, sweetie.

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: 00:01:03

We're going to be having you here

a lot, so this is a good episode to

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: 00:01:07

kick things off for us and to help our

listeners like know more of who you are.

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: 00:01:12

I'm super excited about this episode

because If you follow me on Instagram,

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: 00:01:16

or if you go and check out my Instagram,

you'll see Trey on my feed a lot.

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: 00:01:19

I talk about marriage and our

relationship and Christ centered

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: 00:01:22

relationships all the time.

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: 00:01:24

So he's definitely not a new

face to my brand per se, but.

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: 00:01:30

You haven't heard a lot from him

to more behind the scenes for sure.

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: 00:01:33

Yeah.

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: 00:01:33

He's more behind the scenes and he just

kind of makes appearances, but you haven't

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: 00:01:37

really heard his heart and his voice.

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: 00:01:39

And so I'm super excited for

him to be on the podcast.

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: 00:01:42

Um, pretty regularly, I would say

you're going to be here quite a bit.

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: 00:01:45

Um, it'll be fun.

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: 00:01:46

It'll be a new experience for me, but

yeah, I'm excited to do it with you.

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: 00:01:50

Yeah.

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: 00:01:50

I'm excited for people to see just

like what we're like together in

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: 00:01:54

real life, like in real time, all

the fun and all the craziness.

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: 00:01:58

And I just want to say, before we

get started with all this, that

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: 00:02:01

I'm so proud of you for Take care.

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: 00:02:02

Everything you've done on Instagram

and now with this podcast, this

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: 00:02:05

is a huge project that you've

poured your heart and soul into.

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: 00:02:08

And I know everybody sees it on

Instagram, but I'm really excited

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: 00:02:11

for them to see you, and all your

realness and all your beauty.

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: 00:02:15

It's going to be amazing.

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: 00:02:16

Thanks, babe.

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: 00:02:17

Excited for this journey for you.

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: 00:02:18

Thank you.

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: 00:02:19

And it would not be possible without you.

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: 00:02:21

We know that for sure.

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: 00:02:23

And now all the listeners know that.

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: 00:02:25

And I want you to know that.

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: 00:02:26

And I want to say a huge thank you to

you because, oh my gosh, you guys pulling

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: 00:02:30

off this podcast has been a journey.

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: 00:02:33

Podcasting is hard enough.

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: 00:02:34

You add video into the mix

and it's a whole nother beast.

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: 00:02:36

So like, we're like,

not like tech experts.

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: 00:02:40

Okay.

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: 00:02:41

Like we like strategy and business

and marketing, but like tech.

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: 00:02:45

It's like, we know how to handle an

iPhone, but that's literally like,

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: 00:02:49

this was like not our expertise and I,

I could not have done this by myself.

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: 00:02:53

So this podcast is up

and running literally.

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: 00:02:56

Thank you to Trey.

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: 00:02:58

Um, cause he has become my official,

pretty much certified tech man.

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: 00:03:02

He's figured out every tech issue we've

had with sound and video and platforms

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and editing and all that kind of stuff.

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: 00:03:08

Cause we knew we wanted this to

be like high quality and that.

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: 00:03:11

Made for us to learn a lot of new

skills and solve a lot of tech problems.

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So just got to figure it out as we go.

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Yeah.

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: 00:03:16

We're all running into much more problems.

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I'm sure.

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Yes, we will.

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: 00:03:19

But for now, this dream is

finally coming true and.

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It's largely things to Trey.

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: 00:03:23

Well, I love making your dreams come true.

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Thank you.

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: 00:03:27

Okay.

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Today we're going to be sharing

about my favorite love story,

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which happens to be our love story.

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A little bit biased, but yes, I agree.

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A little bit biased, but

I think it's really good.

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It's one of the best ones the Lord

has written and I love our story so

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much because it is like we talked

about before we were recording just

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like so God centered and the way the

Lord brought us together and worked

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in each of our lives to get us to

where we were in our lives to be ready

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to meet each other is so beautiful.

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So I think let's just dive right in.

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Let's do it.

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Let's just start from the beginning.

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Start from the beginning.

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Where do we meet?

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We, okay.

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Well, before we actually met, I

found out you existed from a friend.

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So I was a freshman in college, uh, in

: 2017

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a high school boyfriend that I had, and it

was just kind of an immature relationship.

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Um, and.

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I was just kind of like super over

boys and like bad relationships.

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And I remember talking about it with

one of my good friends and I was

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like, boys are literally the worst.

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Like, I don't know if I'll find the one.

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Like, is he out there?

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What am I going to do?

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And, um, she just kept telling me like,

Oh man, I wish you could meet this guy.

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I wish you could meet this guy.

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I'm like, what guy?

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And she kept talking about this guy

back home, which for her was Colorado.

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And we were going to school in

Washington and I grew up in Washington.

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So like, My life was not

outside of Washington . Yeah.

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You're like, why are you

telling me about this boy?

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I was like, this is so irrelevant.

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Like he's in Colorado.

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And then at one point she mentioned

that you were still in high school.

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She was like, this guy, like, yeah,

like he, well, he's a senior, you

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know, so, and I was like, okay, bummer.

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Like this is like so not gonna work out.

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Like this is so stupid, whatever.

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And I just were like brushed

it off and a few months later.

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So that was like.

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That was like beginning of freshman year.

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And then like by the end of freshman

year, you know, a few months later,

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she was like, you won't believe this.

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Mari, that guy I told you about in

the fall is coming to our school.

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Like he's going to be here next year.

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Like you should totally meet him.

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And I remember again, like brushing

it off, like, okay, one, that's a

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little bit crazy, but like, Let's

talk about how he's younger again.

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That's not going to work.

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He's gonna be a freshman.

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He's basically still in high school.

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Yeah, basically still in high school.

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I'm like, I am not

dating any immature boys.

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Like I'm way too good for that.

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You know, I'm not doing that again.

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And she was like, whatever.

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To be fair, I probably was at the time.

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Probably.

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But I just remember her

always saying like, he's like

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literally like you and a guy.

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And he's like, I mean, I guess the

Lord was going to bring us together

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eventually because we did meet a few

months down the road the next year, my

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sophomore year, your freshman year now.

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So it was my freshman year.

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It was in the fall and I was

walking into the cafeteria and

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I see my friend, that Mari knew.

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And I said hi to her and we like

walked into the cafeteria together

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and she was with this other

girl, mari, and she introduced us

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yeah.

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I remember walking into the cafeteria

and you know, we were walking in with

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you and my friend was like, Hey Mari,

like you should meet my friend Trey.

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And she kind of made those eyes at me.

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Like if you're a girl, you know, like

when you're like trying to like, you

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know, Hint something at your friend.

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You kind of have like these like

big bugeyes, like, Hey Mari,

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like, I want you to meet this guy.

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And I was like, oh gosh, this is probably

the guy she's been talking about.

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So I was like, I, I know

who she's talking about.

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I'm like, hi, like, nice to meet you.

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You know, like still like not super

interested, just like whatever.

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And I, and this is all like

between you and your friend?

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Yeah.

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I have no idea.

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Oh yeah.

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He's, what's going on?

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Yeah.

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This is just, a girl I

vaguely knew from high school.

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And it was just like, Hey, yeah.

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Like she hadn't ever talked to you

about me or anything like that.

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Like you, this was so new to you.

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And so we went and got

in line to get omelets.

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And as soon as we like,

Trey, I made our orders.

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The girl we were with, my friend was

like, Oh, I changed my mind, like,

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I'm gonna go get something else.

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And, um, let's take a little bit to make.

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And so I was kind of like, wait, like,

don't leave me with this stranger.

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What am I supposed to do?

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This is going to be so awkward.

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And.

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We like sat in line for like 10 minutes

and I remember walking away just kind

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of being like, Oh, like that actually

wasn't as awkward as I thought.

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Like that was weirdly like a really

easy, easy, natural conversation.

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We got past the, where are you from?

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What's your major?

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The normal conversations in college.

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Had a good conversation that was

really seamless and yeah, easy.

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Honestly.

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Just easy.

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It was just easy.

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That's the best way to describe it.

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Yeah, it was just easy.

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And then weirdly enough,

we like split ways.

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Like I went to go eat

breakfast with my friend.

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You went to go eat breakfast and

then like didn't see each other.

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I didn't see you for

like the next few months.

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Both.

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We both like forgot that that.

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Interaction even happened.

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And I think it's hilarious that it was

even, we'll get to how we remit again

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in just a minute for the second time,

but what felt like the first time,

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but it took a few weeks of us like

knowing each other again before you

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realize, wait, we've already met before.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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And it took a while for us to like

recount this scenario and be like,

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Oh my gosh, wait, that was you.

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So, so yes, we didn't see each

other for a couple of months.

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And in the meantime, I feel like

the Lord was working in both of

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our lives, like very intentionally.

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And I mean, we see how the

Lord played out our story.

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And so looking back, like.

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It's all his perfect timing

and it all made sense.

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Um, but basically like in those few

months, so when we met, it was probably

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like in the fall, like maybe like October,

November or something of like that

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: 00:08:54

first semester, and then we didn't meet

again until February of second semester.

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: 00:09:00

And so in those few months, I pretty

much was kind of going through like

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: 00:09:04

my own, like reversion of just like

coming to know Christ for myself again.

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: 00:09:09

I'm having all these questions and

moments of prayer where I was like

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: 00:09:12

surrendering my life to God and just

like changing the way that I was living.

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And.

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: 00:09:18

There was a moment where, and

I talk about this a little bit

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: 00:09:21

more in depth in the episode.

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: 00:09:22

That's like my testimony.

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: 00:09:24

Um, so if you want to hear the

full story, go listen to that.

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: 00:09:26

But basically I had a moment of

surrender where I was like, Lord, like,

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: 00:09:29

I need to like, serve you on campus.

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: 00:09:30

I just like, want my life to be

like, Glorifying you like use me

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: 00:09:35

and I started hearing about this,

um, organization called focus and

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: 00:09:39

how they do Bible studies on campus.

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: 00:09:40

And so I came back to campus that second

semester, like really excited to implement

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: 00:09:46

that into my school and our campus.

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: 00:09:48

Um, we really wanted, I really

wanted to like create a more,

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: 00:09:51

Vibrant Catholic community.

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: 00:09:52

And so I was like, I'm going to come

to campus and like, try and get these

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: 00:09:55

Bible studies up and running and like,

see if like, maybe like the ministry

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office can help me like get it going.

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: 00:10:00

And, um, so before you continue where

I'm at and all this is, uh, I was,

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You know, had a little falling away.

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I was, I grew up Catholic, but I fell

away a little bit during high school.

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And I really wanted to refine my

faith because I knew it was true.

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: 00:10:16

And I knew that that's what I

wanted deep down inside was a

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true and authentic Catholic faith.

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: 00:10:21

And so I was searching for

that my freshman year of

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: 00:10:24

college and I went to this.

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: 00:10:27

Focus conference it not seek.

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: 00:10:29

It was SLS at the time, but,

I went to that conference

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like right around new years.

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: 00:10:34

And I wouldn't say like that

conference specifically, changed

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my life, but it gave me a couple

of tools and a little bit of the

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: 00:10:41

motivation to then take back to campus.

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: 00:10:44

And similar to you, was going

through this reversion and.

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: 00:10:49

The Lord was in a lot of really good

things in my heart and preparing me.

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: 00:10:52

And I got back to campus

desiring more authentic Catholic

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: 00:10:56

community and not finding it.

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: 00:10:59

So thinking, Hey, I

just got to start this.

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: 00:11:00

Yeah.

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: 00:11:01

So we had those similar desires.

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: 00:11:02

And then I think like romantically wise,

like where I was at, like I was kind of

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: 00:11:07

on my own personal, like dating fast,

like ever since I had that kind of like.

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: 00:11:12

Bad relationship.

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: 00:11:14

I had never really like found like great

guys on campus and like had a couple

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: 00:11:17

of relationships, like weren't great.

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: 00:11:19

And then sophomore year had a moment

where I was like, I'm gonna focus

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: 00:11:21

my relationship with the Lord.

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: 00:11:23

So I wasn't really even like looking for

guys or dating or anything like that.

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: 00:11:28

And you, I feel like you were

kind of in a similar, uh, you

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: 00:11:31

were like two steps ahead of me.

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: 00:11:32

I was still, you could say involved

with a high school girl, trying to

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: 00:11:38

figure that out and navigating that.

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: 00:11:39

And , knowing that that wasn't.

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: 00:11:41

Leading me to Christ and

leading me to heaven.

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: 00:11:44

Like I knew that I wanted separation

from that, but, um, yeah, I was still

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: 00:11:49

in the midst of figuring all that out.

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: 00:11:51

So I was definitely, definitely

not in a spot to be looking for new

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: 00:11:54

romantic relationships because I was

still trying to sort through the one

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: 00:11:57

I was currently in and navigate that.

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: 00:12:00

But yeah, I definitely.

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: 00:12:01

some things in my heart.

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: 00:12:03

Yeah, sure.

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: 00:12:04

So then, so then I got back to campus

that second semester after feeling

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: 00:12:07

this, like, Do something on campus

to create more Catholic community.

272

: 00:12:11

And I went into the ministry office and

set up a meeting with like one of the

273

: 00:12:15

head people there to like pitch them my

idea and be like, we need to bring focus.

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: 00:12:19

And if they didn't bring focus, I was

like, I want to do it like myself.

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: 00:12:23

Like, can you help me like

find leaders or something?

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: 00:12:25

You know, and so we had this

whole meeting with one of the

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: 00:12:27

leaders in the ministry office.

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: 00:12:28

And her response after I

laid everything out was like.

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: 00:12:33

So this guy came in here like two days

ago with kind of like the same idea

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: 00:12:38

talking about focus, talking about

Bible studies, talking about a more

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: 00:12:41

vibrant Catholic community on campus.

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: 00:12:42

Um, his name is Trey Wagner.

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: 00:12:44

Like, do you, have you met him before?

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: 00:12:46

Like, have you talked to him?

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: 00:12:48

And I was like, uh, why does

this name sounds so familiar?

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: 00:12:52

And like, I started to like rack my brain.

287

: 00:12:54

I'm like, why do I know this name?

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: 00:12:56

And then it clicked and I realized it

was the same guy that my friend had

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: 00:13:00

talked to me about all of freshman year.

290

: 00:13:02

And that she introduced me to that

one, that one time in the omelet.

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: 00:13:05

Yeah.

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: 00:13:06

And at that point, I didn't remember

that I had met him in the omelet line.

293

: 00:13:09

Yeah.

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: 00:13:09

I just remembered like, this

was the guy from Colorado that

295

: 00:13:12

she like kept talking about.

296

: 00:13:13

And so I just kind of laughed through it.

297

: 00:13:15

And I was like, like, dang it.

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: 00:13:17

Now I have to ask my friend

to set me up with this guy.

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: 00:13:19

And so I was like.

300

: 00:13:21

Yes, I know him kind of like I can get in.

301

: 00:13:24

I can get connected with him.

302

: 00:13:25

And the lady was like, okay, well,

we can't bring focus right now.

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: 00:13:28

Like, why don't you just do it yourself?

304

: 00:13:29

Like, why don't you just go find this

tray guy and you guys can like, come up

305

: 00:13:32

with something and like, get it going.

306

: 00:13:35

And so that's what I did.

307

: 00:13:36

I texted my friend and I was

like, okay, listen, like, I need

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: 00:13:39

you to set up a coffee date.

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: 00:13:40

Like.

310

: 00:13:41

Us three, cause like, I don't

want him to get the wrong idea.

311

: 00:13:43

So like, I want you to be there

and it's like strictly business.

312

: 00:13:47

Okay.

313

: 00:13:47

I just want to talk about Bible

studies and like his thoughts on

314

: 00:13:50

like, yeah, his thoughts on, on like

what he wants to do on campus and

315

: 00:13:54

see if we're even on the same page.

316

: 00:13:57

Um, cause I, I also hadn't really

met anybody that like cared about

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: 00:14:00

faith as much, so I was like,

this guy probably doesn't even

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: 00:14:02

like know what he's talking about.

319

: 00:14:04

Um, and so Cassie text me.

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: 00:14:08

Our friend.

321

: 00:14:08

And it was like, Hey, like we need to.

322

: 00:14:11

I have a friend who wants to do Bible

studies, like, yeah, let's get together.

323

: 00:14:14

And so the three of us, we met up

at the student center and just like

324

: 00:14:20

had a cup of coffee one evening and

yeah, just hashed out what our hopes

325

: 00:14:24

and desires and dreams were for our

own faith, our college university,

326

: 00:14:31

or, the Catholic community on campus.

327

: 00:14:33

And it was a conversation that just.

328

: 00:14:36

It was amazing.

329

: 00:14:38

Like it was just nonstop back and

forth, tons of passion, tons of energy.

330

: 00:14:42

Yeah.

331

: 00:14:42

It was so natural.

332

: 00:14:44

And it was like the first time somebody

that I felt like I'd ever met matched

333

: 00:14:49

me and my energy and my passion and

my desire and my love for the Lord.

334

: 00:14:52

And although it was still like new

and all that, I had that new zeal,

335

: 00:14:57

but it was, it It was matched by you.

336

: 00:14:59

And it was like, we joke about

this now, but yeah, we don't even

337

: 00:15:02

remember our friend being there.

338

: 00:15:05

No, I know.

339

: 00:15:06

Like I literally remember, like

I remember it was a Monday night.

340

: 00:15:10

I know.

341

: 00:15:10

Cause I like used to watch the

bachelor with all my friends and

342

: 00:15:12

like, I was missing the bachelor.

343

: 00:15:13

So it was like a big deal.

344

: 00:15:15

And I'm like going to

get coffee with this guy.

345

: 00:15:16

And I kept telling my girlfriends like,

they're like, Oh, you're going on a date.

346

: 00:15:19

I'm like, no guys, it's

literally not a date.

347

: 00:15:21

Like he's not even like cute.

348

: 00:15:23

Probably like, and then I like, I, like,

kind of remember, like, sitting down

349

: 00:15:30

and, like, maybe our friend was there,

but, like, I, I, like, literally, like,

350

: 00:15:34

don't really even remember her being

there throughout our conversation,

351

: 00:15:37

and honestly, and she actually was

for most of it, and I think back, and

352

: 00:15:40

I think she did leave in the middle

of it, she probably was, like, okay.

353

: 00:15:43

I've been here an hour.

354

: 00:15:44

I'm clearly not needed here any longer.

355

: 00:15:46

Like, thinking back, I'm like, that

was probably so awkward for her.

356

: 00:15:49

Like, she probably didn't say a

single word and it was probably

357

: 00:15:51

all Trey and I, like, talking and

just, like, locked into each other.

358

: 00:15:55

Cause I do remember that conversation

was, like, unmatched to, like,

359

: 00:16:00

any other interaction I'd had with

someone before about faith or,

360

: 00:16:03

like, let alone another, like, guy.

361

: 00:16:05

Like, like you were saying,

like, I hadn't really met a lot

362

: 00:16:07

of people in my life who, who.

363

: 00:16:09

Like cared there much, that much

about their faith as much as I did,

364

: 00:16:12

or like wanted to live it out and I

never really met a guy who like was

365

: 00:16:17

strong in his Catholic faith and like

passionate about it and like wanted to

366

: 00:16:21

do something to make it better on campus.

367

: 00:16:23

Like I was like, what, who is this guy?

368

: 00:16:25

But.

369

: 00:16:26

Even, even though it was amazing, I

remember like, I didn't even like have

370

: 00:16:31

any like romantic thoughts during that

conversation, like I wasn't even like,

371

: 00:16:36

and like, I was like kind of boy crazy

the first couple of years of college.

372

: 00:16:39

So like, it was like different for me to

like meet you and like, not even think

373

: 00:16:42

like, oh my gosh, she's super cute.

374

: 00:16:43

I wonder when I'm going to see him again.

375

: 00:16:44

Like, oh my gosh, is he going to text me?

376

: 00:16:46

Like, I didn't think anything.

377

: 00:16:47

It was just like, Whoa.

378

: 00:16:48

Like I was just in awe of the

man that you were and the person.

379

: 00:16:52

That Trey was, I remember walking away and

just being like, this guy is so awesome.

380

: 00:16:58

Like I want to be his best friend.

381

: 00:17:01

Like, I literally want to be

so close to this guy and like,

382

: 00:17:04

yeah, I just want to be around.

383

: 00:17:05

I just want to be around you.

384

: 00:17:06

Yeah.

385

: 00:17:07

Just like the conversation

was so free and.

386

: 00:17:11

Just fun.

387

: 00:17:11

I was like, I just want to

be around this person more.

388

: 00:17:13

I remember too, something else that really

stood out to me about that conversation

389

: 00:17:17

was that, like, I've always been someone

that has like big dreams and big ideas

390

: 00:17:21

and like tracing, like passionate, and

I had learned throughout my life, like

391

: 00:17:26

when to tone that down and like kind

of when to let that go a little bit.

392

: 00:17:29

And I felt like more often, like

I would feel like I needed to tone

393

: 00:17:34

it down in front of people because

people never really matched that.

394

: 00:17:38

And like, Even in like school

projects, like I would like want

395

: 00:17:41

to do this extravagant thing.

396

: 00:17:42

People are like, Oh, that's too much.

397

: 00:17:43

Like that's too much work.

398

: 00:17:44

Like that's too hard, you know?

399

: 00:17:46

And so I remember kind of like, like

treading the water, like testing the

400

: 00:17:51

waters and I was talking to, talking

to Trey and being like, okay, like I'm

401

: 00:17:54

going to pitch him like my first, like.

402

: 00:17:56

Kind of like baseline idea, you

know, and then yeah, start small.

403

: 00:17:59

See what he thinks.

404

: 00:18:00

And then he'd be like, Oh yeah.

405

: 00:18:01

And let's do this.

406

: 00:18:02

And I'd be like, Oh, Whoa, Whoa.

407

: 00:18:04

Like he totally went for that.

408

: 00:18:05

Like, okay.

409

: 00:18:06

And then it'd be like, Oh, and then,

and then what if like we add this or

410

: 00:18:09

like, what if we do this, you know?

411

: 00:18:10

And he'd be like, Oh yes, that's amazing.

412

: 00:18:12

Like, and we could make this happen.

413

: 00:18:13

And he just kept going.

414

: 00:18:14

Like, he just like took the

idea and like kept running

415

: 00:18:16

with it and like added his own.

416

: 00:18:18

And I remember just being like,

This guy hasn't said no to any of my

417

: 00:18:22

crazy ideas, like this is wild, like

we're talking about a whole college

418

: 00:18:25

campus and he and I are two people

who are just like, like small players

419

: 00:18:31

in this big, in this big ocean.

420

: 00:18:33

And I'm like, how does he like, why is

he not running away from me right now?

421

: 00:18:36

Like I sound crazy, like wanting

to do all these crazy things and

422

: 00:18:39

literally nothing has changed.

423

: 00:18:40

And six, seven, eight years later,

we're in the exact same exact same

424

: 00:18:45

position, pitching all these crazy ideas

and trays, like, let's make it happen.

425

: 00:18:48

So, so that was a great, that was a great

little coffee date, but we walked away.

426

: 00:18:53

Yeah.

427

: 00:18:54

We're just like, just friends.

428

: 00:18:54

Great.

429

: 00:18:55

Like, yeah, let's do it.

430

: 00:18:56

Let's schedule another time to

get together and see what, like,

431

: 00:19:00

let's start these Bible studies.

432

: 00:19:01

That's the big takeaway is like,

we want to, we want to lead

433

: 00:19:03

some Bible studies on campus.

434

: 00:19:04

Let's get one going.

435

: 00:19:05

Let's start with that.

436

: 00:19:06

And so we just, It's another day to get

together to talk about Bible studies.

437

: 00:19:10

So that's how we spent the

first few weeks together.

438

: 00:19:12

It was basically all of our

conversations were centered

439

: 00:19:15

around faith and Bible studies.

440

: 00:19:17

Yeah.

441

: 00:19:17

And I remember like my friends asking

me about him often because I would

442

: 00:19:21

come back from a meeting with him and

be like, wow, like this guy's so off.

443

: 00:19:24

Like I would always just be

like, this guy's so awesome.

444

: 00:19:26

And they're like, yeah.

445

: 00:19:27

You like him, you know, they'd

be teasing me like, Oh my gosh,

446

: 00:19:30

you're going to hang out with Trey.

447

: 00:19:31

Like, are you sure you don't like him?

448

: 00:19:32

I'd be like, no guys,

he's literally a freshman.

449

: 00:19:35

Like I would always bring that up.

450

: 00:19:35

I'm like, no guys, he's

literally a freshman.

451

: 00:19:37

Like you guys know, like I'm

not going to date a freshman.

452

: 00:19:39

Like I can't stoop that low.

453

: 00:19:40

A freshman man is low.

454

: 00:19:44

I don't know why I had that

so ingrained in my head, but.

455

: 00:19:48

Like, I think there was actually a

moment when I realized that I liked you.

456

: 00:19:52

Like, I don't think I actually

realized like internally that like,

457

: 00:19:55

I was developing feelings, but we

were at lunch at the cafeteria.

458

: 00:19:59

We had a lot of big

moments at the cafeteria.

459

: 00:20:01

I mean, when you're a sophomore in

college, that's, you spent a lot of time.

460

: 00:20:05

It's a central activity.

461

: 00:20:06

And so I know we were at

the cafeteria, you mean.

462

: 00:20:09

Two other girls who we had recruited

to be like Bible study leaders with us.

463

: 00:20:13

And you walked away to like,

get another plate of food.

464

: 00:20:17

And one of my close friends was

like, Hey, he's like kind of cute.

465

: 00:20:21

Right.

466

: 00:20:21

And I was like, Like I felt like a

defensiveness, like a protectiveness in

467

: 00:20:27

my heart for a second of like, whoa, like,

wait, wait, you can't think he's cute.

468

: 00:20:31

Like hands off.

469

: 00:20:33

Like if anyone's going to

think he's cute, it's me.

470

: 00:20:36

Like you're not allowed

to think he's cute.

471

: 00:20:38

And it was so weird to me that like,

my heart had that reaction of just

472

: 00:20:41

like, whoa, like, Why do you think

like don't think he's cute, you know,

473

: 00:20:45

and that's kind of when I started

realizing like wait Like why do I care?

474

: 00:20:48

Like do I do I maybe like like it like

I think I have a crush on this guy And

475

: 00:20:52

then you sat down you came back and

you sat down with your plate of food

476

: 00:20:55

And it was like I saw you in a whole

new light And it was like sparkles and

477

: 00:20:59

like you could hear like, you know,

like love love you Sucky freshman.

478

: 00:21:04

Yeah college boy.

479

: 00:21:05

No all of a sudden.

480

: 00:21:05

I'm like, oh wait I was like Oh my gosh.

481

: 00:21:11

Like, wow.

482

: 00:21:12

So mature.

483

: 00:21:12

He's so attractive.

484

: 00:21:16

I grew up five years in that.

485

: 00:21:17

In that 30 seconds.

486

: 00:21:18

Trip to get food.

487

: 00:21:19

One minute.

488

: 00:21:20

And that, and that's kind of how

I knew I started to like you.

489

: 00:21:23

And I didn't say anything for a while.

490

: 00:21:24

Like we still kept hanging out

and I was kind of trying to like.

491

: 00:21:27

Like decipher what I was feeling

because at that point I knew I was

492

: 00:21:30

starting to feel something and um, Like

the way our relationship was heading.

493

: 00:21:35

We're like we were becoming

really good friends.

494

: 00:21:37

Oh, yeah Like we were spending a lot

of time together and like we said

495

: 00:21:39

like a lot of it was centered around

faith and Bible studies and like that

496

: 00:21:42

That was like what I wanted for sure.

497

: 00:21:45

Um, and at that point, I think like

if we back up a little bit, like those

498

: 00:21:48

months before I had met you, when

I was kind of going through my own,

499

: 00:21:51

like reversion and stuff like that,

for the first time I'd started to

500

: 00:21:55

intentionally pray for my future husband.

501

: 00:21:57

And so I like, I had this list that

I'd made in my notes in my phone

502

: 00:22:01

that I would pray with every night.

503

: 00:22:02

And that kind of helped me like.

504

: 00:22:04

Build like a new standard for like who

I wanted that man to be so that when

505

: 00:22:08

I did date someone else I wasn't like

letting go of standards I was just like

506

: 00:22:14

he's either gonna meet these or he or

I'm not gonna date him and you were like

507

: 00:22:17

Checking those boxes as we were becoming

friends and hanging out and I was like,

508

: 00:22:21

oh my gosh Don't check another one.

509

: 00:22:24

Like, like, I'm not ready for this.

510

: 00:22:27

And we also had a religion class

together and so we were spending time

511

: 00:22:32

because we were also like studying for

that for tests and like reading each

512

: 00:22:37

other's papers and stuff like that.

513

: 00:22:38

And yeah, and I mean that was, it

was such a gift looking back on it.

514

: 00:22:43

Our relationship was amazing.

515

: 00:22:45

Started from talking about Bible

studies and how we wanted to transform

516

: 00:22:49

the Catholic community on our campus

and studying for this religion

517

: 00:22:53

class, which was on the Gospels.

518

: 00:22:55

And so we just read the New

Testament and the Gospels together

519

: 00:22:59

and then just share what we.

520

: 00:23:01

Felt and like what we thought

about each of those passages.

521

: 00:23:03

It's like, that was our

homework was to do that.

522

: 00:23:05

So we would just do that together.

523

: 00:23:05

And yeah, so like we were studying,

but like studying together literally

524

: 00:23:10

looked like doing Lectio Divina.

525

: 00:23:11

Yeah.

526

: 00:23:11

We didn't know it was

called that at the time.

527

: 00:23:12

We didn't know it was that.

528

: 00:23:13

We're like reading the Bible and sharing

our thoughts on it with each other.

529

: 00:23:16

And it was beautiful.

530

: 00:23:17

And I was like, I had never done anything

like that with anybody in my life.

531

: 00:23:22

Like I was in youth group and stuff, but

like that's in high school, that's like.

532

: 00:23:25

Not anywhere near this.

533

: 00:23:27

I didn't, never had a friend that

I was like pursuing Christ with.

534

: 00:23:31

Yeah.

535

: 00:23:32

And I hadn't even done that.

536

: 00:23:33

I feel like with like girlfriends either.

537

: 00:23:34

Like we would like talk about faith,

but like, I don't think I'd really,

538

: 00:23:37

really, really like sat down to like

dive deep into like what the Lord

539

: 00:23:42

was saying through scripture and

like what, how it moved me, you know,

540

: 00:23:45

like that was like new to me too.

541

: 00:23:47

It was beautiful.

542

: 00:23:48

I was like, what a amazing way

that the Lord just blessed me.

543

: 00:23:51

And kickstarted our relationship.

544

: 00:23:53

Yeah.

545

: 00:23:53

And we were still just

friends at that point.

546

: 00:23:55

Yeah.

547

: 00:23:55

That's beautiful.

548

: 00:23:56

Yeah.

549

: 00:23:56

And I remember very vividly this one

time we had in the library where we

550

: 00:24:01

were studying for that religion test.

551

: 00:24:04

And that was one of the

moments where I was like, Oh my

552

: 00:24:07

gosh, I really like this guy.

553

: 00:24:10

We studied for this test for four

hours or like four and a half hours.

554

: 00:24:14

We were in the library for four hours.

555

: 00:24:16

Okay.

556

: 00:24:16

Yeah.

557

: 00:24:16

I'm not sure how much time he

spent studying, but we were

558

: 00:24:19

in the library for four hours.

559

: 00:24:20

Yes.

560

: 00:24:21

Non stop talking.

561

: 00:24:22

Just like one conversation.

562

: 00:24:24

Continuously.

563

: 00:24:25

Yes, exactly.

564

: 00:24:26

Which is hard for me.

565

: 00:24:27

I don't, I don't know how

it would talk that long.

566

: 00:24:29

I literally don't.

567

: 00:24:30

Like I can't do that.

568

: 00:24:31

Not anymore you can't.

569

: 00:24:33

But we were studying for

this test for so long.

570

: 00:24:36

And like Trey said, you know, I

don't know how hard we studied.

571

: 00:24:39

And, and the fruits showed the next day of

like where my head was at, because Okay.

572

: 00:24:44

I want to say this first.

573

: 00:24:45

I was a good student in college.

574

: 00:24:47

Okay.

575

: 00:24:47

I got good grades, but after this

test, I got a 77 and he got a 97

576

: 00:24:54

and we studied the same thing.

577

: 00:24:58

Everything together.

578

: 00:24:59

Like I didn't do any other studying

outside of that time with you.

579

: 00:25:02

I don't know what happened.

580

: 00:25:03

Like I clearly, I was in like

lovey dovey land because I

581

: 00:25:06

didn't retain any information.

582

: 00:25:07

And I felt horrible because

I'm like, religion is my jam.

583

: 00:25:09

Like, I know my faith.

584

: 00:25:11

Like, Why did I get such a bad grade?

585

: 00:25:13

Clearly my head was somewhere else.

586

: 00:25:14

Yeah, you're just, do do do.

587

: 00:25:16

But the reason why that moment or that

night of studying was so, I think like

588

: 00:25:22

pivotal for our relationship, at least

like the way I viewed it, was because

589

: 00:25:25

that night is when I realized like

Trey was the one I was going to marry.

590

: 00:25:30

And this is, this is really crazy

what I'm about to tell you guys,

591

: 00:25:33

because this is like before Trey and

I even talked about liking each other.

592

: 00:25:37

Yeah.

593

: 00:25:38

Like, we were not dating.

594

: 00:25:39

We were literally just friends.

595

: 00:25:41

And I had known him for like three

and a half weeks at this point.

596

: 00:25:44

But if you remember just a few minutes

ago, I was talking about that list

597

: 00:25:47

on my phone that I had made of like

all the attributes that I wanted

598

: 00:25:51

in my future husband, like the main

characteristics that I wanted him to

599

: 00:25:55

have that I would pray with every night.

600

: 00:25:57

So I had that on my phone.

601

: 00:25:59

While we're studying for this religion

test, we're taking a break and, um, Trey

602

: 00:26:03

had like a project for another class.

603

: 00:26:05

Yeah, some leadership class.

604

: 00:26:06

Yeah.

605

: 00:26:07

Do you want to explain

what the project was?

606

: 00:26:09

It was basically trying to figure

out what kind of like leader I am.

607

: 00:26:13

So I was polling and asking a lot of

people who knew me really well from back

608

: 00:26:16

home, like what qualities, I mean, what

are like the key, like top three to five

609

: 00:26:21

words that you would describe me as?

610

: 00:26:23

And then I would like put it all

together in like a, yeah, some sort

611

: 00:26:26

of, Visual, visual representation.

612

: 00:26:29

And you had to ask like coaches

and teachers, family members, like

613

: 00:26:33

people who really knew friends,

friends, parents spent the most time

614

: 00:26:36

with me who knew me the deepest.

615

: 00:26:37

Yeah.

616

: 00:26:38

And at this point train

you, I was pretty artsy.

617

: 00:26:40

Like if you, you got to know that,

that about me pretty quickly.

618

: 00:26:43

And so he was like, can you

help me with this project?

619

: 00:26:45

Like, What kind of like way should I,

you know, visually put it together, like

620

: 00:26:49

be artsy and all that kind of stuff.

621

: 00:26:51

And I was like, okay, I just

met you like three weeks ago.

622

: 00:26:54

So I don't actually like really know you.

623

: 00:26:57

So I was like, why don't you

just share, like, what are the

624

: 00:27:00

ways people have described you?

625

: 00:27:01

Like, what are the words other people

have used to describe your character?

626

: 00:27:04

And I remember you told me, you're

like, okay, well, I compiled together,

627

: 00:27:07

like the most common words people

have used in like the top three.

628

: 00:27:12

Ways people have described me were honest

charming and loyal and those are the

629

: 00:27:19

exact Top three characteristics that I had

written in my notes in my phone So like

630

: 00:27:25

the number number number one was loves god

god above all things And I already knew

631

: 00:27:30

that given how we started our relationship

and what we were doing Like I already knew

632

: 00:27:33

that that was a given and then the next

three were honest charming and loyal in

633

: 00:27:37

that order Those exact words and I feel

like You Like, those are like particular

634

: 00:27:42

words that people don't usually use.

635

: 00:27:44

And so when you said those words

to me, I felt like I saw a ghost.

636

: 00:27:49

So like, I felt like my heart stopped.

637

: 00:27:52

Like my hands went cold because.

638

: 00:27:54

I was like, this is too weird.

639

: 00:27:58

This is too crazy.

640

: 00:27:59

And I like, remember I kind of like,

like stepped aside and like pulled

641

: 00:28:03

out my phone, like just needed to

like double check the things I had

642

: 00:28:07

been praying for every single day.

643

: 00:28:08

And sure enough on my phone,

those were the top ones.

644

: 00:28:12

And I remember like putting my phone

away and kind of like turning back

645

: 00:28:14

to him and trying to keep it so cool.

646

: 00:28:16

But like I turned around and I looked

back to back at him and like, In

647

: 00:28:21

my head, I knew I was like, this

is the man I'm going to marry.

648

: 00:28:25

Like I'm looking at my husband.

649

: 00:28:28

I'm looking at my future

husband right now.

650

: 00:28:30

That moment on your brain was

shut off the rest of the night.

651

: 00:28:33

And that's ladies and gentlemen,

that's why I got a C plus on my desk.

652

: 00:28:39

So you go to the professor and you're

like, this is why I promise you.

653

: 00:28:42

Like, can we retake the test?

654

: 00:28:45

I just met my husband.

655

: 00:28:46

I just met my husband.

656

: 00:28:47

It was pretty monumental.

657

: 00:28:48

Like, let's forget the test grade.

658

: 00:28:50

I just won in life.

659

: 00:28:52

So at this point, I'm still thinking

of Mari as just this awesome person

660

: 00:28:58

that I love, love, love being around.

661

: 00:29:00

Like I'm having these four hour

conversations with that is so unlike me.

662

: 00:29:04

Like when I'm with her, I'm so alive.

663

: 00:29:07

I like, this is a person that like,

I am the person that I've always

664

: 00:29:12

wanted to be when I'm around you.

665

: 00:29:13

And so like it, I just felt my

heart was so alive with you.

666

: 00:29:18

However, because like I said

earlier, I was still kind of.

667

: 00:29:22

Figuring out a relationship.

668

: 00:29:22

Figuring out this relationship

with this girl back home.

669

: 00:29:26

So, I still basically had shut off

the possibility or the, you know,

670

: 00:29:30

the thought of anything beyond

friends with her at this point.

671

: 00:29:33

So any romantic feelings are just

non existent in my head right now.

672

: 00:29:37

It's just like, I love

being around this person.

673

: 00:29:39

She's awesome.

674

: 00:29:41

Like we have the best time together.

675

: 00:29:43

Which is hilarious.

676

: 00:29:43

I already knew we were going to

get married and you were like,

677

: 00:29:46

not even, not even remotely there.

678

: 00:29:49

I didn't even like considered like

possibility of even dating this girl.

679

: 00:29:53

But yet, and I, and you, you, like you

said, you love spending time with me.

680

: 00:29:57

And yet you would like always ask to

get coffee to talk about Bible study.

681

: 00:30:00

And that was something that I

was kind of starting to catch up,

682

: 00:30:02

catch on to, and kind of overthink

a little bit of like, he's like,

683

: 00:30:06

he would wait for me after class.

684

: 00:30:09

At the door, you know, when like

he wait, you know, guys waiting

685

: 00:30:11

for you at the door, you're like,

Oh, like he wants to talk to me.

686

: 00:30:14

He wants to hang out with me.

687

: 00:30:15

What's he going to say?

688

: 00:30:16

And you'd be like, Hey, like, I

was wondering, like, do you want

689

: 00:30:18

to go get coffee with me later?

690

: 00:30:19

And like, we can talk about

Bible study or like, you know,

691

: 00:30:21

like plan the next Bible study.

692

: 00:30:23

I had this like easy kind of cop

out excuse to spend time with you.

693

: 00:30:27

Yeah.

694

: 00:30:27

And so I'd always be like, yeah, sure.

695

: 00:30:29

Of course.

696

: 00:30:29

Like.

697

: 00:30:29

We need a plan Bible study.

698

: 00:30:31

So let's do it and we would

go on these coffee dates.

699

: 00:30:36

And the first time we did that, we

had coffee for an hour and a half.

700

: 00:30:40

I remember it was like the

Starbucks by my dorm and we didn't

701

: 00:30:43

talk about Bible study ones.

702

: 00:30:45

Like Bible study did not get mentioned.

703

: 00:30:48

We talked about it again.

704

: 00:30:50

And so I was like, Mari, we

got to go get coffee again.

705

: 00:30:53

We got to play in that Bible study.

706

: 00:30:54

And I just remember being like, Excited,

like equally excited and confused

707

: 00:30:58

because at this point I'm starting to

develop feelings and I'm noticing that

708

: 00:31:01

you're wanting to spend time with me.

709

: 00:31:03

You're asking me to get coffee.

710

: 00:31:04

That coffee date was amazing.

711

: 00:31:06

Like we talked about our families,

you talked about baseball, you know,

712

: 00:31:09

what we wanted to do this summer, just

like our lives, like who we were and.

713

: 00:31:13

And I remember walking away from that

Bible study and going back into my

714

: 00:31:17

dorm, into my apartment with my, my

roommates, my roommates were home.

715

: 00:31:20

And I ran into my best friend's room

and like face planted on her bed

716

: 00:31:25

and just screamed into the pillow.

717

: 00:31:26

And I was like, ah,

like, I think I like him.

718

: 00:31:32

Like, I like didn't want to like him.

719

: 00:31:34

I don't know why.

720

: 00:31:34

Like I was just like afraid to like him.

721

: 00:31:37

And just like, again, like I said, like

I was on my own personal dating fast.

722

: 00:31:39

I was like, I'm not dating like, like

these boys here aren't good enough.

723

: 00:31:43

Like this can't be it.

724

: 00:31:45

And I remember being

like, I think I like him.

725

: 00:31:47

Like what do I do?

726

: 00:31:48

And they'd be like, well,

does he like you back?

727

: 00:31:51

And I'm like, I, I don't know.

728

: 00:31:53

Like So it makes it even scarier.

729

: 00:31:54

Yes.

730

: 00:31:54

It makes it even scarier.

731

: 00:31:56

And at this point, like I said, like.

732

: 00:31:58

Like I've been a little boy crazy

the first couple years of school

733

: 00:32:01

and like I hadn't really experienced

a lot of rejection like I was like

734

: 00:32:04

really scared like for the first

time I'm just like oh my gosh like I

735

: 00:32:07

don't know if he likes me like this.

736

: 00:32:10

This is scary because like I'm starting

to develop like real, real feelings like

737

: 00:32:14

not just like oh wow this guy's cute

in my math class like no like this man

738

: 00:32:18

is amazing like I, I'm like liking him.

739

: 00:32:20

He's supposed to be my husband.

740

: 00:32:22

Well, yeah, he's supposed

to be my husband.

741

: 00:32:24

And there was a moment where I like

walked into the ministry office, honestly,

742

: 00:32:30

probably to try and run into you.

743

: 00:32:32

Like I didn't have a

purpose of being there.

744

: 00:32:33

I remember like, I was just going

to walk in to like, Quote unquote,

745

: 00:32:36

like ask someone a question, you

know, and I sort of hoped that you

746

: 00:32:41

were going to be there so we could

just run into each other and say, hi.

747

: 00:32:43

And sure enough, you were there talking

to another guy, like an older leader

748

: 00:32:48

of some sort of other small group.

749

: 00:32:50

And I sat down and like, acted like I

was just doing my homework in there.

750

: 00:32:53

Cause sometimes students

would go in and do that.

751

: 00:32:55

And I remember.

752

: 00:32:57

Like kind of like eavesdropping on

your guys's conversation a little bit.

753

: 00:33:00

Cause I wanted to like, Oh, like,

what are they talking about?

754

: 00:33:02

And the older guy, I think he

was like a junior, a senior.

755

: 00:33:04

He was, he was kind of like big bro ing

you, you know, he's like, all right, bro.

756

: 00:33:06

Like, tell me like, like,

are you dating anybody?

757

: 00:33:09

Like, is there a girl?

758

: 00:33:10

And so my ears perked up cause I'm like,

Oh, like, I wonder if he's going to like

759

: 00:33:14

say anything about me, you know, like,

like he's probably gonna be like, Oh,

760

: 00:33:17

I kind of like this girl in my class.

761

: 00:33:19

Like, and then I heard

you say like, ah, like.

762

: 00:33:22

It's really complicated right now.

763

: 00:33:26

I was like, wait, I don't think

my relationship with him is

764

: 00:33:31

complicated right now, so this

can't be me he's talking about.

765

: 00:33:36

And I remember like my heart like

shattered into a million pieces and I.

766

: 00:33:40

Grab my stuff and I walked out

before I could talk to you and I was

767

: 00:33:44

like, oh my gosh What is going on?

768

: 00:33:45

And I called my best friend and she was

in the library Which is the building next

769

: 00:33:49

door and she met me outside and I just

ran I just cried to her and I was like

770

: 00:33:52

Oh my gosh, like I'm, this is all wrong.

771

: 00:33:56

Like all those fears, like came true.

772

: 00:33:58

I was like, this is all wrong.

773

: 00:33:59

Like, I knew I shouldn't be

developing feelings for this guy.

774

: 00:34:01

Like he doesn't like me.

775

: 00:34:02

Like, like I thought like this

was supposed to be the guy.

776

: 00:34:05

Like I was so sure, like, this was the

guy, like the Lord was like leading

777

: 00:34:09

me to, and like, this can't be true.

778

: 00:34:10

And like, I'm crying, like he has

another girl and like, Oh my gosh.

779

: 00:34:13

Like, just like, so sad.

780

: 00:34:16

And yeah, I mean, that conversation

I was talking about this girl.

781

: 00:34:20

From back home and it was complicated at

the time and I was just trying to navigate

782

: 00:34:25

that, but it became very uncomplicated

shortly after I broke up with her, once

783

: 00:34:31

I had broken up with this girl, it.

784

: 00:34:34

allowed my eyes and my heart to

be like, okay, wait, maybe I do

785

: 00:34:37

see Mari as something more like

786

: 00:34:38

I do love spending time with her and I

am so full of life when I'm around her.

787

: 00:34:44

I just like, I want to be

next to her all the time.

788

: 00:34:47

And so I started feeling

that, but I'm also just like.

789

: 00:34:50

I've been in relationships for the

past, like four years of my life.

790

: 00:34:54

And I am like, none of them were

very holy or centered on Christ.

791

: 00:34:59

And I am like, just entering

into this reversion.

792

: 00:35:02

I, there's a ton of ways I need to

grow in virtue and just like rebuild

793

: 00:35:06

just my relationship with God and

have that like be my focus for now.

794

: 00:35:11

Like that was what I wanted was

to just focus on that and not just

795

: 00:35:16

go hop from one relationship to

another, to another, to another.

796

: 00:35:18

And just like, I just wanted time to just.

797

: 00:35:21

Be with the Lord and figure out who I

was and who he was calling me to be.

798

: 00:35:25

Yeah.

799

: 00:35:25

And I totally get that.

800

: 00:35:26

Cause like, like you said, I was

kind of like two steps ahead of you.

801

: 00:35:29

Like I just gone through that time

period, which is why when I met you,

802

: 00:35:32

I was like, oh my gosh, wait, like I'm

still like, not there, not ready yet.

803

: 00:35:36

You know?

804

: 00:35:37

Um, and.

805

: 00:35:39

And then after that, like, I don't

know, maybe like a few days later

806

: 00:35:42

or something, or no, not a few days

later, like maybe like a week or two

807

: 00:35:45

later, you asked me to get brunch.

808

: 00:35:47

Like after we had had all this

stuff up from coffee, yeah.

809

: 00:35:49

Step up from coffee.

810

: 00:35:50

So, so we had all these coffee dates.

811

: 00:35:52

My friends were like, are

you sure they're not dates?

812

: 00:35:53

And I'm like, no, like, I don't know.

813

: 00:35:57

I'm not sure, but I also

don't think they are.

814

: 00:35:59

Cause like I'm paying for

my own coffee and like.

815

: 00:36:02

But we are talking about our lives like it

feels like a date and so they were like,

816

: 00:36:05

okay Okay, like he asked you to brunch.

817

: 00:36:07

So like if he pays for brunch,

then it's a date and that's how

818

: 00:36:10

you know What his intentions are.

819

: 00:36:13

Okay.

820

: 00:36:14

Now, side note here,

men, let's not do this.

821

: 00:36:17

Okay.

822

: 00:36:18

Like if you want to date

a girl, say the word date.

823

: 00:36:21

Okay.

824

: 00:36:21

Don't let her be all confused.

825

: 00:36:22

We learned that lesson because I was

so confused going into this date.

826

: 00:36:27

I'm like, I hope it's a date,

but I'm not really sure.

827

: 00:36:30

And honestly the type of personality I

am, I was ready to just like be blunt

828

: 00:36:34

and ask about like what was going on.

829

: 00:36:36

Well, and like, to be fair,

In my head, it was not a date.

830

: 00:36:39

Right.

831

: 00:36:40

Like, I wasn't asking this girl on a date.

832

: 00:36:42

That's not, that was not my intention.

833

: 00:36:44

I never, like, it didn't cross my mind.

834

: 00:36:46

Like, I was not asking Mari on a date.

835

: 00:36:47

Yeah.

836

: 00:36:47

I said, hey, you wanna go get brunch?

837

: 00:36:49

We got Bible study.

838

: 00:36:50

Like, this week, we got to plan it.

839

: 00:36:52

Let's go get brunch.

840

: 00:36:53

And have a meal.

841

: 00:36:54

It's better than coffee.

842

: 00:36:55

So we're at brunch and we don't

talk about Bible study whatsoever.

843

: 00:36:59

It's just a classic.

844

: 00:37:00

We're talking about life, talking about

our dreams, talking about everything

845

: 00:37:03

that else is going on in our life and

just getting to know each other and.

846

: 00:37:06

Like always, we're having an amazing time.

847

: 00:37:08

And then the waiter brings the check.

848

: 00:37:11

I'm intentionally letting

this check sit on the table.

849

: 00:37:14

Like I, this is not a date.

850

: 00:37:16

I'm not picking up the check.

851

: 00:37:18

I don't want to give the wrong message.

852

: 00:37:19

Like I'm just going to

let this check sit here.

853

: 00:37:22

Mari is so enthralled with our

conversation that like 20 minutes

854

: 00:37:27

go by and nobody touches the check.

855

: 00:37:30

Well, and I think I got in my head about

like my friend saying, like, if he pays

856

: 00:37:34

it today, if he doesn't, then it's not.

857

: 00:37:36

And so I'm like, I'm going to wait

for him to say like, okay, like,

858

: 00:37:40

do you want to Venmo request me?

859

: 00:37:41

Or like, okay, let's split it, you know,

or for him to pick up the check and just.

860

: 00:37:46

Hey, and instead, like, we're just

talking, we're just talking, like,

861

: 00:37:49

we're just having a great time.

862

: 00:37:50

And so in my head, I'm like, Oh,

he just wants to keep talking.

863

: 00:37:52

Like, he just wants to keep this

going and he doesn't pick up the

864

: 00:37:54

check and I don't pick up the check.

865

: 00:37:56

I'm like, he doesn't pick it up

because he's waiting for me to offer.

866

: 00:37:59

I'm just waiting for

something to be like, okay.

867

: 00:38:00

Like, like Trey, like here, like

let's put the check or like, just

868

: 00:38:04

give me some sort of indication that

like, you know, the checks there.

869

: 00:38:07

And yeah, we need to pay this.

870

: 00:38:09

And, uh, like whether you ask me to,

are you going to pay or do you want

871

: 00:38:13

to split it or anything like that?

872

: 00:38:14

But after 20 minutes

go by, I'm like, okay.

873

: 00:38:16

I just put my card in it, and then we

just kept talking, and then, you know,

874

: 00:38:20

a couple minutes later, the waiter picks

it up, we pay, and at this point, I'm

875

: 00:38:25

just like, I'm not gonna be a jerk, like,

I'm just, I'm not gonna be cheap, and

876

: 00:38:30

just like, ask her to Venmo request me,

so I'm like, alright, whatever, like,

877

: 00:38:33

I'll just let it slide, like, Which

you could've, but, I'm glad you didn't.

878

: 00:38:37

Anyways, I thought, like, oh,

this means, like, It's a date.

879

: 00:38:41

Like, he picked up the check.

880

: 00:38:42

He paid.

881

: 00:38:42

This is officially a date.

882

: 00:38:43

I think I specifically asked

you to get the Uber, too.

883

: 00:38:46

Yes, you did.

884

: 00:38:47

I was like, okay, okay.

885

: 00:38:47

Because I picked up the check, I was

like, I need to like, you know, make

886

: 00:38:50

her pay something so it's not a date.

887

: 00:38:52

Yes.

888

: 00:38:53

So I was like, okay, like, why

don't you order the Uber now?

889

: 00:38:54

Yeah.

890

: 00:38:55

I got the check, you get the Uber.

891

: 00:38:56

Yeah, and I did.

892

: 00:38:56

And I was like, okay, fair enough.

893

: 00:38:58

Like, I'll get the Uber, whatever.

894

: 00:38:59

And then, After that, like, we

went back to your dorm and like,

895

: 00:39:03

we were going to do more studying.

896

: 00:39:04

Suddenly we went and

picked up your backpack.

897

: 00:39:06

Then we went back to my

apartment, picked up my backpack.

898

: 00:39:08

And then we were like

walking to the library.

899

: 00:39:10

And I am someone who like, if I have

like strong feelings about something,

900

: 00:39:14

like I can't really keep it in.

901

: 00:39:16

Like, I can't really hide it.

902

: 00:39:16

And so at this point I'm like,

I need to know what is going on

903

: 00:39:21

because I am developing feelings and.

904

: 00:39:24

He paid for the check.

905

: 00:39:25

I need to know if this was a date or not.

906

: 00:39:27

And so I'm like building up the courage.

907

: 00:39:28

I remember in my head, I literally counted

to three, like kind of down from three.

908

: 00:39:31

like, okay, three, two, one.

909

: 00:39:34

And then I was like, said the words,

I'm like, I need to ask you something.

910

: 00:39:38

And you were like, uh, what, like, okay.

911

: 00:39:42

And I was like, I am.

912

: 00:39:44

Wondering, like, was that a day or not?

913

: 00:39:47

And like, I just straight up

asked you, was that a date?

914

: 00:39:50

Yeah, it wasn't like some

cool, like calculated thing.

915

: 00:39:55

It was just like, was that a date?

916

: 00:39:59

Just threw me, it threw

me off guard so hard.

917

: 00:40:02

I was just like, I stopped my

tracks and I was just done.

918

: 00:40:05

I'm like, yeah.

919

: 00:40:07

Like in my head, I'm like, okay, no,

it wasn't a date, but I can't tell

920

: 00:40:11

her that because I don't want her to

get the wrong impression that I, cause

921

: 00:40:13

I do like spending time with her.

922

: 00:40:14

I don't want to shut the door

for future dates in the future.

923

: 00:40:17

I want to keep that door

open, but it wasn't a date.

924

: 00:40:21

So what do I say?

925

: 00:40:22

And so.

926

: 00:40:23

I like think for what I, in my

head, it feels like 20 seconds.

927

: 00:40:26

It probably was like three.

928

: 00:40:27

It probably was like three, but then I

say I, it was like, well, not exactly.

929

: 00:40:33

Yes.

930

: 00:40:34

Yes.

931

: 00:40:34

You were like, not exactly.

932

: 00:40:36

Not exactly.

933

: 00:40:36

It's, but like, like I, I really

enjoyed spending time with you.

934

: 00:40:40

Yeah.

935

: 00:40:40

And I wanna do it again, but it

wasn't my intention when I asked you.

936

: 00:40:44

Yes.

937

: 00:40:45

To go to brunch.

938

: 00:40:46

It was my intention for it to be a date.

939

: 00:40:48

Yes.

940

: 00:40:48

And then I remember then

I like ask more questions.

941

: 00:40:51

Well, then she's just like, huh?

942

: 00:40:52

I'm like, okay, there's a lot more

that I need to fill you in on,

943

: 00:40:58

catch you up to speed on because up

to this point, everything with my

944

: 00:41:02

relationship from high school back

home, I had not shared with Mari.

945

: 00:41:06

So I was like, okay, so we just like,

I think we sat on like a park bench.

946

: 00:41:09

Just like, yeah.

947

: 00:41:10

Cause I remember I brought up like, okay,

I, I get if it's not, but also like, I

948

: 00:41:16

want you to know why I think it might be.

949

: 00:41:19

And like, kind of give you the background.

950

: 00:41:20

I'm like, we're going on all these

coffee dates and we say, we're

951

: 00:41:22

going to talk about Bible study, but

we're not talking about Bible study.

952

: 00:41:24

And like, we hang out all the

time and like, We like spend hours

953

: 00:41:28

on end, totally valid question.

954

: 00:41:30

Absolutely.

955

: 00:41:31

Like it should be asked.

956

: 00:41:32

Yeah.

957

: 00:41:32

I would encourage women

to ask that question.

958

: 00:41:34

Yeah.

959

: 00:41:35

And hopefully it's not confusing.

960

: 00:41:37

Hopefully the guy is straightforward

and not like me, but then we sat on a

961

: 00:41:40

park bench cause you were like, okay,

I like need to tell you something.

962

: 00:41:44

So then I was like, I literally

just broke up with a girl from

963

: 00:41:48

back home, like two days ago.

964

: 00:41:50

Right.

965

: 00:41:51

So that's why it wasn't a date because

I'm still trying to figure that out.

966

: 00:41:55

I feel like I'm in this position where

I've been in relationships for the

967

: 00:41:58

past four or five years and I just

want some time to like re learn who

968

: 00:42:04

God is and who he's calling me to be.

969

: 00:42:06

And that's where I am.

970

: 00:42:09

But I really like spending time with you

and like, I do want to keep hanging out.

971

: 00:42:14

Yeah.

972

: 00:42:15

And I think you were like in the future,

like when I'm ready, like maybe, you

973

: 00:42:19

know, like, like you kind of wanted

to leave that door open, like maybe

974

: 00:42:22

down the road, like we can talk about,

we can see where things go, you know?

975

: 00:42:25

I was like, I'm not ready to date right

now, but I really like spending time with

976

: 00:42:29

you and like, we'll see where it goes.

977

: 00:42:33

And at this point I remember

like, I already had that

978

: 00:42:36

whole moment in the library.

979

: 00:42:37

So like, I already know

this is my future husband.

980

: 00:42:40

And so I just, with all the

confidence in the world, the Lord

981

: 00:42:43

probably just gave me this grace.

982

: 00:42:44

I was like, okay.

983

: 00:42:45

Like, I get it.

984

: 00:42:46

Like, I've actually been there before.

985

: 00:42:47

I actually was just in that

season where I was like, I need

986

: 00:42:50

a break from relationships.

987

: 00:42:51

I need to, like, focus on my

relationship with the Lord and, like,

988

: 00:42:53

grow in my relationship with the

Lord and who He's calling me to be.

989

: 00:42:56

All that stuff.

990

: 00:42:57

So, I was like, I get it.

991

: 00:42:58

And, like, I want you to do that.

992

: 00:43:00

Like, you should totally do that.

993

: 00:43:01

Um, however, I'll be here.

994

: 00:43:03

I literally was like, I'm not

going to date anybody else.

995

: 00:43:08

Yeah.

996

: 00:43:08

Like I don't, I'm not

interested in dating anybody.

997

: 00:43:10

I've met all the men on

campus and I'm not interested.

998

: 00:43:15

And so I'll be waiting if you're

ready, like when you're ready to date.

999

: 00:43:20

You can ask me on a date.

: 1000

00:43:21,106 --> 00:43:21,596

Let me know.

: 1001

00:43:21,606 --> 00:43:22,716

Like I'll say yes.

: 1002

00:43:22,726 --> 00:43:23,406

And I'll be here.

: 1003

00:43:23,406 --> 00:43:26,876

It was mind blowing the confidence

of this woman to just be like.

: 1004

00:43:28,706 --> 00:43:30,426

Well, I'm not going to date anybody else.

: 1005

00:43:30,436 --> 00:43:31,176

So I'll just wait for you.

: 1006

00:43:32,176 --> 00:43:36,536

And I remember him being like, I

don't want to stop you from like,

: 1007

00:43:36,536 --> 00:43:38,356

like we just met like a month ago.

: 1008

00:43:38,726 --> 00:43:41,806

I don't want that responsibility to like

your heart is in my hands without me even

: 1009

00:43:41,806 --> 00:43:42,996

knowing how I feel about anything yet.

: 1010

00:43:43,036 --> 00:43:43,426

Yeah.

: 1011

00:43:43,466 --> 00:43:43,786

Yeah.

: 1012

00:43:43,796 --> 00:43:44,866

But I just, I just knew.

: 1013

00:43:44,866 --> 00:43:46,056

And so I was like, it's okay.

: 1014

00:43:46,106 --> 00:43:47,226

Like you just take your time.

: 1015

00:43:47,236 --> 00:43:48,986

Whatever you need, we'll just be friends.

: 1016

00:43:48,986 --> 00:43:52,796

And, and like that

conversation, like wasn't hard.

: 1017

00:43:52,796 --> 00:43:55,386

Like I look back and like, I could have

walked away again, like crying, just being

: 1018

00:43:55,386 --> 00:43:56,726

like, Oh my gosh, it's not going to work.

: 1019

00:43:56,726 --> 00:43:57,206

But I just.

: 1020

00:43:57,781 --> 00:44:03,141

We just kept, we kept walking to the

library and we spent the next two

: 1021

00:44:03,141 --> 00:44:04,481

hours talking and studying for a test.

: 1022

00:44:04,481 --> 00:44:08,981

And luckily it didn't even get

awkward the days, weeks after.

: 1023

00:44:09,071 --> 00:44:12,351

It wasn't, if anything,

we started to get closer.

: 1024

00:44:12,441 --> 00:44:13,021

Oh yeah.

: 1025

00:44:13,111 --> 00:44:13,401

Yeah.

: 1026

00:44:13,451 --> 00:44:17,591

That's what happened is it was like

the feelings now were just unleashed.

: 1027

00:44:17,591 --> 00:44:21,401

Like we had spoken this into

existence that Mario liked me.

: 1028

00:44:21,411 --> 00:44:22,411

So now I know that.

: 1029

00:44:22,691 --> 00:44:27,726

And I'm like, I like spending time with

her and I see it happening in the future

: 1030

00:44:27,726 --> 00:44:32,526

but just not right now So then we kind

of had, so then after that we had a few

: 1031

00:44:32,526 --> 00:44:36,306

more conversations, I think, like, as we

were growing in friendship of like, okay,

: 1032

00:44:36,326 --> 00:44:38,216

like we're kind of liking each other.

: 1033

00:44:38,226 --> 00:44:40,276

Like I think you've kind of opened

up a little bit more about like,

: 1034

00:44:40,586 --> 00:44:42,866

I like you didn't take long.

: 1035

00:44:42,876 --> 00:44:45,236

Like my heart was one very, very quick.

: 1036

00:44:45,316 --> 00:44:51,706

And so, but I still felt like I still,

even though my heart has been like won by

: 1037

00:44:51,726 --> 00:44:55,941

Mari and I know that I want to date her

and I want to be with her, it's, I still

: 1038

00:44:55,941 --> 00:45:01,111

felt very much like I am not the person,

I don't have the foundation that I want

: 1039

00:45:01,351 --> 00:45:03,511

to be the man, to be the man for her.

: 1040

00:45:03,511 --> 00:45:04,021

Yeah, exactly.

: 1041

00:45:04,061 --> 00:45:05,391

Or like the man that you wanted to be.

: 1042

00:45:05,391 --> 00:45:05,931

Exactly.

: 1043

00:45:06,061 --> 00:45:10,036

And so I was still like, In this

season of wanting to not date.

: 1044

00:45:10,506 --> 00:45:14,986

However, my heart was screaming

at me to just date this

: 1045

00:45:14,986 --> 00:45:16,076

girl, to just kiss this girl.

: 1046

00:45:16,556 --> 00:45:20,126

And that's actually something that

we had talked about was, uh, in

: 1047

00:45:20,126 --> 00:45:24,866

all of our past relationships, like

we would kissing was very common,

: 1048

00:45:24,866 --> 00:45:26,066

very early on in the relationship.

: 1049

00:45:26,076 --> 00:45:26,406

Yeah.

: 1050

00:45:26,406 --> 00:45:29,776

Like before we were like dating

before, like in our past relationships,

: 1051

00:45:30,096 --> 00:45:33,466

we would kiss our significant

others before we even start dating.

: 1052

00:45:34,016 --> 00:45:35,606

And we wanted to make it.

: 1053

00:45:35,621 --> 00:45:38,131

A very like concrete

shift in that mindset.

: 1054

00:45:38,131 --> 00:45:41,481

And so we're like, yes, we both

know that we like each other.

: 1055

00:45:41,941 --> 00:45:44,931

We both know that Trey is kind of just

still trying to work on himself right now.

: 1056

00:45:44,941 --> 00:45:47,431

Yeah, but we need to like pump the brakes.

: 1057

00:45:47,441 --> 00:45:50,001

Yeah, we need to pump the brakes no matter

how much we like each other, no matter how

: 1058

00:45:50,101 --> 00:45:52,021

much we're tempted or how hard it gets.

: 1059

00:45:52,221 --> 00:45:53,551

Like we will not kiss each other.

: 1060

00:45:53,561 --> 00:45:53,931

Yeah.

: 1061

00:45:53,991 --> 00:45:55,221

Until we're officially dating.

: 1062

00:45:55,431 --> 00:45:59,831

Yeah, because I know like we, we knew

like until you were ready and pretty

: 1063

00:45:59,831 --> 00:46:01,181

much we were just waiting on the Lord.

: 1064

00:46:01,211 --> 00:46:04,231

Like we were like, we were

taking this time of friendship

: 1065

00:46:04,231 --> 00:46:05,461

to discernment and prayer.

: 1066

00:46:05,461 --> 00:46:08,686

And so we were like, we're just going

to intentionally like, Literally just

: 1067

00:46:08,716 --> 00:46:12,866

be friends and continue to get to know

each other as friends and like pray

: 1068

00:46:12,876 --> 00:46:15,486

and we entered it like a period of

Discernment of like a few months of

: 1069

00:46:15,486 --> 00:46:19,796

like prayer and and we did talk about

it like discernment takes active You

: 1070

00:46:19,796 --> 00:46:22,906

know moves and so we were like every

now and then checking on each other.

: 1071

00:46:22,936 --> 00:46:23,736

Okay, like, how are you doing?

: 1072

00:46:23,736 --> 00:46:24,096

How are you feeling?

: 1073

00:46:24,096 --> 00:46:28,071

How's your prayer like we wanted to

To discern this with the Lord and

: 1074

00:46:28,081 --> 00:46:32,971

have the Lord show us like when the

right time it was to move into like

: 1075

00:46:32,991 --> 00:46:38,061

dating Yeah, and this was like the

very first time at least in my life.

: 1076

00:46:38,061 --> 00:46:41,151

I think in your life Yeah, it

was the first time in my life I

: 1077

00:46:41,151 --> 00:46:43,366

ever Try to do the Lord's will.

: 1078

00:46:43,826 --> 00:46:44,066

Yeah.

: 1079

00:46:44,066 --> 00:46:47,006

I was like, this was a

concept that was new to me.

: 1080

00:46:47,006 --> 00:46:51,526

I was still in like my reversion and I

was like, okay, for the first time in my

: 1081

00:46:51,526 --> 00:46:53,916

life, I'm going to do the Lord's will.

: 1082

00:46:53,926 --> 00:46:56,276

Like no matter how much I want

to date you, Mari, like I'm just

: 1083

00:46:56,276 --> 00:46:57,446

going to do the Lord's will.

: 1084

00:46:57,866 --> 00:47:00,586

And so it just didn't feel right.

: 1085

00:47:00,616 --> 00:47:05,841

And so we just stayed as friends

and, , not to say like, For other

: 1086

00:47:05,841 --> 00:47:08,711

couples out there, dating is

discernment in and of itself.

: 1087

00:47:08,711 --> 00:47:09,021

Yeah.

: 1088

00:47:09,031 --> 00:47:11,861

Like there's a, you can have a period

of discernment before you start dating

: 1089

00:47:11,881 --> 00:47:13,651

the guy, but like dating is discernment.

: 1090

00:47:13,661 --> 00:47:18,281

So you don't need to discern that

he's the one and your husband

: 1091

00:47:18,281 --> 00:47:19,501

before you start dating him.

: 1092

00:47:19,501 --> 00:47:21,001

Like dating is discernment

in and of itself.

: 1093

00:47:21,001 --> 00:47:25,211

But we just both had a particular

situation where like, we were

: 1094

00:47:25,211 --> 00:47:28,636

intentionally like, I just, yeah,

we're staying away from that to grow

: 1095

00:47:28,636 --> 00:47:31,686

in relationship with the Lord until

we like felt like he was calling

: 1096

00:47:31,686 --> 00:47:34,366

us to it just because of the way

our past relationships had gone.

: 1097

00:47:34,376 --> 00:47:34,756

We like.

: 1098

00:47:35,166 --> 00:47:39,256

We knew that this was going to be special

and we knew we wanted to do this right.

: 1099

00:47:39,566 --> 00:47:41,376

And so we were like, we

don't want to rush into it.

: 1100

00:47:41,416 --> 00:47:44,746

We want this to be like God

led and like God centered.

: 1101

00:47:44,846 --> 00:47:48,106

And so we wanted him to lead

totally the choices we were making.

: 1102

00:47:48,176 --> 00:47:50,986

So we made that commitment

to not kiss each other until

: 1103

00:47:50,996 --> 00:47:51,926

we were officially dating.

: 1104

00:47:51,966 --> 00:47:52,206

Yeah.

: 1105

00:47:52,236 --> 00:47:54,216

And then we prayed for a sign.

: 1106

00:47:54,476 --> 00:47:54,836

Yeah.

: 1107

00:47:54,916 --> 00:47:59,076

That's, that was like, God, like we

don't really know how to hear you yet.

: 1108

00:47:59,086 --> 00:48:00,566

Like we're still learning how to pray.

: 1109

00:48:00,886 --> 00:48:06,086

So just give us a sign, like make it clear

to us that you're ready for us to start

: 1110

00:48:06,096 --> 00:48:07,886

dating and to just pursue each other.

: 1111

00:48:08,026 --> 00:48:11,986

I remember we also, like, we're trying

to prepare ourselves to like, enter

: 1112

00:48:11,986 --> 00:48:14,826

into a Christ centered relationship

and we were reading this book.

: 1113

00:48:14,966 --> 00:48:15,146

Yeah.

: 1114

00:48:15,146 --> 00:48:18,666

I mean, cause like neither of us had

Christ centered relationships prior.

: 1115

00:48:18,726 --> 00:48:20,186

This was a new experience for us.

: 1116

00:48:20,196 --> 00:48:21,896

We were trying to learn

about what that meant.

: 1117

00:48:22,226 --> 00:48:23,126

Would look like.

: 1118

00:48:23,126 --> 00:48:23,356

Yeah.

: 1119

00:48:23,356 --> 00:48:27,356

And so we read this book, Men, Women,

and the Mystery of Love by Edward Tree.

: 1120

00:48:27,466 --> 00:48:32,246

Highly recommend to anybody who's dating

or in a relationship or even married.

: 1121

00:48:32,276 --> 00:48:32,506

I don't know.

: 1122

00:48:32,506 --> 00:48:35,806

It's just like such a good book

on literally men and women.

: 1123

00:48:35,806 --> 00:48:40,596

it's John Paul II's Theology of the

Body and Love and Responsibility.

: 1124

00:48:41,701 --> 00:48:47,881

Summarized and condensed into an easier

to digest and to understand for somebody

: 1125

00:48:47,881 --> 00:48:51,681

who in college who didn't know a whole

lot about my faith at the time, like

: 1126

00:48:51,711 --> 00:48:53,871

reading JP two, you're in the deep end.

: 1127

00:48:53,891 --> 00:48:54,181

Yeah.

: 1128

00:48:54,181 --> 00:48:58,181

So this was a very good introductory

level to what theology of the body is,

: 1129

00:48:58,181 --> 00:49:01,381

what men and women are created for, how

we're meant to be in a relationship.

: 1130

00:49:01,851 --> 00:49:03,921

So we each read that book to just kind of.

: 1131

00:49:04,526 --> 00:49:05,166

Prepare.

: 1132

00:49:05,246 --> 00:49:05,666

Yeah.

: 1133

00:49:05,846 --> 00:49:09,566

And I mean, that made it really beautiful,

but I feel like it almost made it the way

: 1134

00:49:09,596 --> 00:49:15,556

that much harder to, because like, at this

point we're like talking to another, like,

: 1135

00:49:15,616 --> 00:49:19,676

like a person of the opposite sex who's

like wanting to learn about chastity.

: 1136

00:49:19,686 --> 00:49:22,356

And like, like, I remember Trey one

time, like, as we were discussing

: 1137

00:49:22,356 --> 00:49:26,346

this book, like, he like took a moment

to be like, Hey, like, by the way,

: 1138

00:49:26,346 --> 00:49:30,276

like, I should tell you, like, I'd

really like to wait till marriage.

: 1139

00:49:30,286 --> 00:49:33,211

Like, I don't know where you're

at with that, but like, I really

: 1140

00:49:33,211 --> 00:49:34,231

want to make that commitment.

: 1141

00:49:34,231 --> 00:49:36,291

And he was like, kind of

like nervous, like, tell me.

: 1142

00:49:36,291 --> 00:49:41,971

And I remember I was like, Oh

my gosh, like I, I had made that

: 1143

00:49:41,971 --> 00:49:50,051

commitment in my life and like,

I had never had a man I had like.

: 1144

00:49:50,431 --> 00:49:54,611

Almost never encountered another

man who would say who, who'd be

: 1145

00:49:54,611 --> 00:49:57,851

the one to lead that and who had

made that commitment for himself.

: 1146

00:49:57,861 --> 00:49:59,891

Like all the boyfriends I'd

had were like, okay, like, if

: 1147

00:49:59,891 --> 00:50:01,061

you want to wait, that's fine.

: 1148

00:50:01,321 --> 00:50:04,251

But like, if you change your mind, let

me know, you know, it was always like,

: 1149

00:50:04,311 --> 00:50:06,431

I'll do it because you're going to do it.

: 1150

00:50:06,431 --> 00:50:08,911

But like, if you change your mind,

like we don't have to wait, you know?

: 1151

00:50:09,151 --> 00:50:10,826

And so to have you be the one.

: 1152

00:50:11,126 --> 00:50:14,306

To lead that and be like, by the

way, like I wanna wait till marriage.

: 1153

00:50:14,306 --> 00:50:16,196

So like, if you're not okay with

that, this isn't gonna work.

: 1154

00:50:16,196 --> 00:50:19,466

I was like, oh my gosh,

like this is gonna work.

: 1155

00:50:19,466 --> 00:50:20,426

Like don't worry.

: 1156

00:50:20,431 --> 00:50:24,346

Like I think I just like liked you 10

times more because you said that, and

: 1157

00:50:24,351 --> 00:50:27,341

yet we weren't even kissing and like we

were still waiting for a sign and Yeah.

: 1158

00:50:27,826 --> 00:50:31,176

Yeah, it was, it was a

definitely a funny period.

: 1159

00:50:31,416 --> 00:50:31,596

Yeah.

: 1160

00:50:31,596 --> 00:50:35,426

It was like we were emotionally, we

were date we were, we were dating

: 1161

00:50:35,431 --> 00:50:39,506

pretty much, we were pretty much dating,

so we got to that point for sure.

: 1162

00:50:39,626 --> 00:50:41,036

And I remember our

friends even being like.

: 1163

00:50:41,676 --> 00:50:42,966

Why aren't you dating?

: 1164

00:50:43,046 --> 00:50:44,576

Or like, why haven't you kissed?

: 1165

00:50:44,576 --> 00:50:47,026

And we were just like,

we're waiting for the Lord.

: 1166

00:50:47,756 --> 00:50:48,456

What does that mean?

: 1167

00:50:48,456 --> 00:50:49,426

We were like, we don't know.

: 1168

00:50:50,526 --> 00:50:51,126

We're waiting.

: 1169

00:50:51,456 --> 00:50:57,006

Um, do you want to go into

the Well, you prayed for it.

: 1170

00:50:59,986 --> 00:51:02,956

So we were just like waiting

for God to like, show us.

: 1171

00:51:03,056 --> 00:51:03,336

Yeah.

: 1172

00:51:03,576 --> 00:51:05,866

Like, you prayed pretty

specifically about it.

: 1173

00:51:06,176 --> 00:51:08,886

Yeah, there was this one night,

it was late, and I was walking

: 1174

00:51:08,886 --> 00:51:11,256

Mari home to her dorm room.

: 1175

00:51:11,256 --> 00:51:11,306

Yeah.

: 1176

00:51:11,306 --> 00:51:11,321

Yeah.

: 1177

00:51:12,361 --> 00:51:13,901

And I mean, it was late.

: 1178

00:51:13,941 --> 00:51:15,321

And so then it was like 2 a.

: 1179

00:51:15,321 --> 00:51:15,491

m.

: 1180

00:51:15,491 --> 00:51:17,581

I dropped her off.

: 1181

00:51:18,091 --> 00:51:18,231

Yeah.

: 1182

00:51:18,231 --> 00:51:18,671

This is us.

: 1183

00:51:18,781 --> 00:51:22,621

This is us not dating at the

time, but I dropped her off.

: 1184

00:51:22,651 --> 00:51:23,451

Don't kiss her.

: 1185

00:51:23,461 --> 00:51:24,351

Cause we're not kissing.

: 1186

00:51:24,861 --> 00:51:28,751

And then on my walk back home

to my dorm room, there is a

: 1187

00:51:28,751 --> 00:51:30,191

Marion Grotto on our campus.

: 1188

00:51:30,531 --> 00:51:36,701

And so I'm just like, my heart is

so like, already like, In love with

: 1189

00:51:36,701 --> 00:51:40,231

Mari, pretty much that I was like,

I, Lord, like, I want to date her.

: 1190

00:51:40,231 --> 00:51:42,711

Like, why, like, why can't

I date her right now?

: 1191

00:51:42,711 --> 00:51:44,141

Like, this is all that I want.

: 1192

00:51:44,491 --> 00:51:46,671

And so, yeah, it was 2 AM.

: 1193

00:51:47,511 --> 00:51:51,571

I stopped at the barren grotto and I'm

just like sitting there with Mary and

: 1194

00:51:51,571 --> 00:51:58,291

Jesus, just, Pour my heart out to God, um,

and just asking for a sign or like, tell

: 1195

00:51:58,291 --> 00:51:59,811

me something about when I'll be ready.

: 1196

00:51:59,811 --> 00:52:00,781

Or like, what is your will?

: 1197

00:52:00,781 --> 00:52:02,981

Like, or I surrender this to

you no matter how bad I want

: 1198

00:52:02,981 --> 00:52:04,311

this, I surrender this to you.

: 1199

00:52:04,531 --> 00:52:06,351

I want to do your will and all this.

: 1200

00:52:06,951 --> 00:52:13,931

And I mean, it sounds crazy and I thought

it was crazy myself because I've never

: 1201

00:52:14,071 --> 00:52:17,251

had any experience like this, but I

just felt in the depth of depths of

: 1202

00:52:17,251 --> 00:52:23,261

my heart that the Lord say, there'll

be a shooting star when you're ready.

: 1203

00:52:23,841 --> 00:52:25,711

And I'm just like, I brushed that off.

: 1204

00:52:25,711 --> 00:52:27,211

Like, this is insane.

: 1205

00:52:27,221 --> 00:52:28,081

Like, this is stupid.

: 1206

00:52:28,261 --> 00:52:28,641

Dumb.

: 1207

00:52:28,641 --> 00:52:30,221

I'm like, I'm like done.

: 1208

00:52:30,391 --> 00:52:32,331

I stand up, walk, leave the grotto.

: 1209

00:52:32,661 --> 00:52:33,711

I'm like, I gotta get to bed.

: 1210

00:52:33,711 --> 00:52:34,121

It's late.

: 1211

00:52:34,121 --> 00:52:35,061

Like it is late.

: 1212

00:52:35,111 --> 00:52:35,891

I gotta go to sleep.

: 1213

00:52:36,561 --> 00:52:39,411

And, but I like, can't

shake this from my mind.

: 1214

00:52:39,441 --> 00:52:41,481

Like you felt that stay in your heart.

: 1215

00:52:41,531 --> 00:52:42,201

It did.

: 1216

00:52:42,521 --> 00:52:44,571

And I was like, so irritated.

: 1217

00:52:44,571 --> 00:52:45,691

Cause I'm like, this is so dumb.

: 1218

00:52:45,701 --> 00:52:47,311

Like this is, this is a shooting star.

: 1219

00:52:47,311 --> 00:52:47,981

Are you kidding me?

: 1220

00:52:47,981 --> 00:52:48,911

Like, this is so cheesy.

: 1221

00:52:48,911 --> 00:52:49,681

This is from a movie.

: 1222

00:52:49,681 --> 00:52:55,861

So, uh, but anyway, so I walk back, I

get to my room and I'm like, Something

: 1223

00:52:55,871 --> 00:52:59,941

in me, no matter how badly I was

trying to reject that thought that

: 1224

00:52:59,941 --> 00:53:02,551

was stirred in my heart, I couldn't.

: 1225

00:53:02,621 --> 00:53:06,201

And so I just started journaling

and I just journaled like my entire

: 1226

00:53:06,201 --> 00:53:09,591

prayer and what I felt like the

Lord said to me at that time, um,

: 1227

00:53:12,636 --> 00:53:13,636

I don't share this with Mari.

: 1228

00:53:14,026 --> 00:53:16,396

This is just like, cause also I'm

like a little bit embarrassed.

: 1229

00:53:16,416 --> 00:53:18,616

I also have like, don't, I've like,

don't think I've ever shared this

: 1230

00:53:18,616 --> 00:53:20,126

with anybody outside of my mom maybe.

: 1231

00:53:20,126 --> 00:53:22,136

So I was going to say, now

this is going to the world.

: 1232

00:53:22,146 --> 00:53:25,476

This is actually a detail I've

never shared on Instagram either.

: 1233

00:53:25,476 --> 00:53:29,186

Like this detail has not been shared

publicly yet about our dating story.

: 1234

00:53:29,236 --> 00:53:30,206

So this is a very.

: 1235

00:53:30,226 --> 00:53:36,486

Exclusive, exclusive look that

our ever be listeners are getting.

: 1236

00:53:36,936 --> 00:53:42,826

But, uh, then you would walk me back.

: 1237

00:53:42,826 --> 00:53:43,056

Yeah.

: 1238

00:53:43,056 --> 00:53:47,006

So, so anyways, I, I don't share

this with Mari and this is just

: 1239

00:53:47,006 --> 00:53:48,706

something that's in my heart.

: 1240

00:53:48,966 --> 00:53:53,686

And, but every night, like we're hanging

out all the time and a lot of times

: 1241

00:53:53,686 --> 00:53:55,071

we're hanging out, In the evening.

: 1242

00:53:55,101 --> 00:53:58,431

And so then I'd have to walk Mari

back to her dorm every night and

: 1243

00:53:58,431 --> 00:54:02,601

every night I'm like walking just

like with my eyes up in the sky, like

: 1244

00:54:02,606 --> 00:54:03,306

trying to find the shooting star.

: 1245

00:54:03,306 --> 00:54:06,351

Trying to find the shooting star for the

next like whatever, few weeks, month.

: 1246

00:54:07,731 --> 00:54:13,891

And then finally there's this one night

and we're walking across this parking

: 1247

00:54:13,891 --> 00:54:17,746

lot to drop Mari off at her dorm.

: 1248

00:54:17,751 --> 00:54:19,431

So this was after Easter break.

: 1249

00:54:19,431 --> 00:54:20,626

We had both gone home for, for a couple.

: 1250

00:54:20,626 --> 00:54:20,746

Yeah.

: 1251

00:54:20,746 --> 00:54:22,341

This is Easter Monday, like a couple days.

: 1252

00:54:22,341 --> 00:54:25,311

And I think that was like the

first time we had like been apart

: 1253

00:54:25,391 --> 00:54:26,801

since we like started hanging out.

: 1254

00:54:26,806 --> 00:54:30,451

And so we were like texting and I

remember we were just like, oh my gosh.

: 1255

00:54:30,451 --> 00:54:31,591

Like, Lord, see you.

: 1256

00:54:31,621 --> 00:54:31,771

Yeah.

: 1257

00:54:31,771 --> 00:54:32,491

Can we just see you?

: 1258

00:54:32,491 --> 00:54:34,051

Like, gosh, when are

you gonna start dating?

: 1259

00:54:34,051 --> 00:54:34,471

You know?

: 1260

00:54:34,591 --> 00:54:34,771

Yeah.

: 1261

00:54:34,921 --> 00:54:37,531

And we just finished reading

that book and we were like, okay,

: 1262

00:54:37,531 --> 00:54:39,271

like we feel pretty prepared.

: 1263

00:54:39,981 --> 00:54:44,281

Like Lord, when is the time and

we were hanging out that first day

: 1264

00:54:44,281 --> 00:54:47,311

back from break again pretty late

and Trey's like, okay Like let me

: 1265

00:54:47,311 --> 00:54:48,531

walk you back to your apartment.

: 1266

00:54:48,571 --> 00:54:49,141

Like it's late.

: 1267

00:54:49,141 --> 00:54:49,831

We should go to bed.

: 1268

00:54:50,401 --> 00:54:53,631

And he he's walked me back We're

crossing this parking lot on the way

: 1269

00:54:53,631 --> 00:55:02,886

to my apartment and you guys Again,

this is gonna sound like unreal I

: 1270

00:55:02,896 --> 00:55:10,136

stopped us in our tracks because I saw

this huge, huge, gigantic, gigantic

: 1271

00:55:10,196 --> 00:55:16,436

light in the sky that like crossed the

sky like Like, maybe it was actually

: 1272

00:55:16,436 --> 00:55:17,896

like a comet or something like that.

: 1273

00:55:17,986 --> 00:55:20,606

Like, to be, to be I don't

know the astrological terms.

: 1274

00:55:20,626 --> 00:55:22,736

Yeah, I don't know, but to be

completely honest, you guys, like, uh,

: 1275

00:55:22,906 --> 00:55:23,876

for a second I thought it was a UFO.

: 1276

00:55:25,196 --> 00:55:28,146

Like, for a second I was like,

oh my gosh, aliens are real.

: 1277

00:55:28,156 --> 00:55:30,326

Like, that, that's how big

and how slow it was moving.

: 1278

00:55:30,366 --> 00:55:32,516

Because, and the, and here's

the other part Like, I've seen

: 1279

00:55:32,516 --> 00:55:35,136

shooting stars, like All the time.

: 1280

00:55:35,146 --> 00:55:37,166

Like it wasn't probably seen shooting.

: 1281

00:55:37,176 --> 00:55:41,876

It wasn't like a new thing for me to see

a shooting star, but like, if you, as you

: 1282

00:55:41,876 --> 00:55:45,496

know, like shooting stars, they're quick,

small and fast and I'm blinking them and

: 1283

00:55:45,496 --> 00:55:47,936

I, they're thin, they're just like quick.

: 1284

00:55:47,966 --> 00:55:50,566

Like if you don't, if you don't, if you're

not looking at that moment, you miss it.

: 1285

00:55:51,871 --> 00:55:53,571

Or if you like catch it out of

the corner of your eye, by the

: 1286

00:55:53,571 --> 00:55:54,381

time you look, it's already gone.

: 1287

00:55:54,671 --> 00:55:54,991

Yeah.

: 1288

00:55:55,051 --> 00:55:58,611

And I was seeing this like really,

really bright star, like cross the

: 1289

00:55:58,651 --> 00:56:03,491

sky, like, like, like a white and

orange tail was coming off of it.

: 1290

00:56:03,961 --> 00:56:05,771

And, and a little bit of backstory here.

: 1291

00:56:06,176 --> 00:56:08,586

In my life, I had never

seen a shooting star.

: 1292

00:56:08,586 --> 00:56:11,336

I was like 20 years old at that point

and I'd never seen a shooting star.

: 1293

00:56:11,336 --> 00:56:15,756

And it had always been like my

life's dream to see a shooting

: 1294

00:56:15,756 --> 00:56:17,286

star, like my life's dream.

: 1295

00:56:17,516 --> 00:56:19,906

And I actually went back

and looked at home videos.

: 1296

00:56:19,926 --> 00:56:21,966

Like a few months after that, I

was just at home with my family.

: 1297

00:56:21,966 --> 00:56:25,456

We were looking at home videos and

there's home videos of me when I was five.

: 1298

00:56:25,941 --> 00:56:29,181

That my parents captured of me, like

pretending that I was seeing shooting

: 1299

00:56:29,181 --> 00:56:32,491

stars, like I was dressed as a princess

and I was like, praying on shooting

: 1300

00:56:32,491 --> 00:56:35,271

stars and seeing like, Oh my gosh,

look, shooting stars, like in the living

: 1301

00:56:35,271 --> 00:56:38,711

room, like just pretending, like for

some reason, like my heart just like.

: 1302

00:56:38,951 --> 00:56:41,421

Loved like, I love stars and

like, I'd never seen one.

: 1303

00:56:41,421 --> 00:56:42,781

I just like always wanted to see one.

: 1304

00:56:42,791 --> 00:56:44,231

Like I thought they were so magical.

: 1305

00:56:44,291 --> 00:56:44,591

Anyway.

: 1306

00:56:44,591 --> 00:56:46,681

So we're walking together.

: 1307

00:56:46,771 --> 00:56:47,801

We both see this.

: 1308

00:56:48,336 --> 00:56:48,536

Yeah.

: 1309

00:56:48,536 --> 00:56:49,166

I like culture.

: 1310

00:56:49,166 --> 00:56:52,686

I'm like, Trey, like, look, like, And

so Mari starts just jumping up and down.

: 1311

00:56:52,686 --> 00:56:53,136

Oh my God.

: 1312

00:56:53,136 --> 00:56:53,586

Oh my God.

: 1313

00:56:53,586 --> 00:56:54,036

Oh my God.

: 1314

00:56:54,036 --> 00:56:54,936

I just saw the shooting star.

: 1315

00:56:54,936 --> 00:56:55,686

I'm like, oh my God.

: 1316

00:56:55,686 --> 00:56:56,286

Did you see it?

: 1317

00:56:56,286 --> 00:56:57,336

Trey, Trey, Trey, did you see it?

: 1318

00:56:57,336 --> 00:56:58,806

I'm like, I'm like freaking out.

: 1319

00:56:58,806 --> 00:56:59,606

Like so excited.

: 1320

00:56:59,606 --> 00:57:01,276

Like my live stream just got completed.

: 1321

00:57:01,286 --> 00:57:03,556

Like, I just like, like I'm ecstatic.

: 1322

00:57:03,556 --> 00:57:04,656

I just saw a shooting star.

: 1323

00:57:04,656 --> 00:57:05,956

I'm like jumping up and down.

: 1324

00:57:06,556 --> 00:57:07,476

And I'm just.

: 1325

00:57:08,681 --> 00:57:10,321

Like frozen, frozen.

: 1326

00:57:10,361 --> 00:57:15,161

I felt my feet just become cement

to the pavement and he wasn't, yeah.

: 1327

00:57:15,161 --> 00:57:17,601

Like I feel the color

of my face, like drain.

: 1328

00:57:17,791 --> 00:57:18,151

Yes.

: 1329

00:57:18,191 --> 00:57:19,331

And I'm like jumping everywhere.

: 1330

00:57:19,341 --> 00:57:21,001

And I look at him and he's just like.

: 1331

00:57:21,691 --> 00:57:24,931

Staring at me and yeah,

his face looked white.

: 1332

00:57:25,231 --> 00:57:26,041

Like I was in disbelief.

: 1333

00:57:26,081 --> 00:57:27,141

I just was like, was that real?

: 1334

00:57:27,141 --> 00:57:27,861

Like, did you see it?

: 1335

00:57:27,861 --> 00:57:28,561

I like, did you see that?

: 1336

00:57:28,581 --> 00:57:28,891

Yeah.

: 1337

00:57:28,891 --> 00:57:31,491

She was like, did you see, I'm like,

I'm, this is why I'm freaking out.

: 1338

00:57:31,491 --> 00:57:31,651

Trey.

: 1339

00:57:31,651 --> 00:57:32,561

Like, did you see that?

: 1340

00:57:32,561 --> 00:57:33,371

He goes, yes.

: 1341

00:57:33,441 --> 00:57:35,271

And I'm like, I'm thinking I'm

making this up at this point.

: 1342

00:57:35,281 --> 00:57:36,791

Cause I'm like, Oh, I

just want to date Mario.

: 1343

00:57:36,831 --> 00:57:40,531

I'm just on a shooting star,

a huge, huge shooting star.

: 1344

00:57:40,861 --> 00:57:42,731

And I'm like, Trey, like.

: 1345

00:57:43,156 --> 00:57:45,246

Oh my gosh, I've always

wanted to see a shooting star.

: 1346

00:57:45,246 --> 00:57:46,016

Like, this is my dream.

: 1347

00:57:46,016 --> 00:57:48,086

Like, I've never seen

a shooting star before.

: 1348

00:57:48,086 --> 00:57:49,346

Can you believe it?

: 1349

00:57:49,766 --> 00:57:51,736

And I, I couldn't believe that

she'd never seen one before.

: 1350

00:57:51,746 --> 00:57:52,506

Cause I've seen so many.

: 1351

00:57:52,516 --> 00:57:53,826

And that it was like

such a big deal to me.

: 1352

00:57:53,826 --> 00:57:57,036

And I was just like, I just couldn't

believe that you've never seen one before.

: 1353

00:57:57,056 --> 00:57:58,746

But then I was just like, okay, Mari.

: 1354

00:58:00,031 --> 00:58:00,341

you something.

: 1355

00:58:01,981 --> 00:58:06,451

And so then I recount to her that

night that I walked her home, I

: 1356

00:58:06,451 --> 00:58:07,501

don't know, a month prior or so.

: 1357

00:58:07,501 --> 00:58:08,591

Yeah, like a month prior.

: 1358

00:58:08,961 --> 00:58:12,531

And how I stopped at the grotto, had that

prayer experience, how I tried shaking it

: 1359

00:58:12,531 --> 00:58:16,731

off but it wouldn't leave me, and how I've

been looking in the sky every night since,

: 1360

00:58:16,731 --> 00:58:18,021

looking for a shooting star, and now.

: 1361

00:58:18,191 --> 00:58:19,411

And you never saw one.

: 1362

00:58:19,551 --> 00:58:19,821

Yeah.

: 1363

00:58:20,081 --> 00:58:21,481

Until this moment with me.

: 1364

00:58:21,771 --> 00:58:22,211

Together.

: 1365

00:58:22,221 --> 00:58:22,671

And then, so then.

: 1366

00:58:22,671 --> 00:58:22,906

And then.

: 1367

00:58:23,696 --> 00:58:29,836

Like a romantic movie just embraced and

started kissing and we had our first kiss

: 1368

00:58:30,536 --> 00:58:35,426

Well Trey before we kissed Trey was like,

so Mari, like will you be my girlfriend?

: 1369

00:58:36,166 --> 00:58:40,236

Yeah, he had to ask officially he asked

the official question and obviously I

: 1370

00:58:40,256 --> 00:58:45,306

said yes And then and then we kissed

and it was like magical and he walked

: 1371

00:58:45,306 --> 00:58:49,896

me back to the apartment the rest of

the way and I remember Walking back and

: 1372

00:58:49,896 --> 00:58:54,956

like feeling like I was like gliding,

like floating, like all the way back,

: 1373

00:58:54,966 --> 00:58:56,706

like feet were not on the ground.

: 1374

00:58:56,726 --> 00:59:02,066

And I remember when you, like, when

we said goodbye at the door, you

: 1375

00:59:02,066 --> 00:59:03,956

said you, you kissed me good night.

: 1376

00:59:03,956 --> 00:59:11,966

And you said to me, I was just, I

felt this, like this weight and this.

: 1377

00:59:12,526 --> 00:59:19,736

Almost holy fear where it was like, not

scared of like the immediate future.

: 1378

00:59:19,736 --> 00:59:22,936

I wasn't scared of Mario or anything,

but like, I was scared because I, I

: 1379

00:59:22,936 --> 00:59:25,666

knew the gravity of what just happened.

: 1380

00:59:25,706 --> 00:59:28,816

Like I knew that this was like so

much bigger than ourselves, that this

: 1381

00:59:28,816 --> 00:59:30,826

was so much bigger than ourselves.

: 1382

00:59:30,826 --> 00:59:34,046

And this relationship was going to

be something amazing and special.

: 1383

00:59:34,046 --> 00:59:35,446

And I was just like, Whoa.

: 1384

00:59:36,026 --> 00:59:40,216

And so it was not like a fear,

but it was just like a fear of

: 1385

00:59:40,666 --> 00:59:41,946

the gravity of the situation.

: 1386

00:59:42,256 --> 00:59:42,866

Almost like.

: 1387

00:59:43,581 --> 00:59:43,801

Yeah.

: 1388

00:59:43,801 --> 00:59:45,676

Just a fear of what God's plan.

: 1389

00:59:45,676 --> 00:59:47,281

Like this is real.

: 1390

00:59:47,281 --> 00:59:48,341

Like this is real.

: 1391

00:59:48,351 --> 00:59:50,611

This is not like, this

is, this is not a drill.

: 1392

00:59:50,851 --> 00:59:53,771

No, this is like the most

real thing I've ever had.

: 1393

00:59:53,851 --> 00:59:54,201

Yes.

: 1394

00:59:54,811 --> 00:59:57,171

And I remember you said that to

me, like you kissed me good night

: 1395

00:59:57,171 --> 00:59:59,001

and you said, like, I'm scared.

: 1396

00:59:59,001 --> 01:00:00,031

Yeah.

: 1397

01:00:00,441 --> 01:00:01,101

Me too.

: 1398

01:00:01,291 --> 01:00:01,491

Yeah.

: 1399

01:00:02,181 --> 01:00:08,711

And we just said good night and you walked

back and I went up again to my apartment

: 1400

01:00:08,741 --> 01:00:11,151

and ran into my best friend's room again.

: 1401

01:00:11,151 --> 01:00:12,101

This is 2 a.

: 1402

01:00:12,101 --> 01:00:12,311

m.

: 1403

01:00:12,311 --> 01:00:13,431

in the morning or 1 a.

: 1404

01:00:13,431 --> 01:00:13,521

m.

: 1405

01:00:13,521 --> 01:00:14,291

in the morning.

: 1406

01:00:14,551 --> 01:00:17,071

My very 2 best friends shared

a room in the apartment.

: 1407

01:00:17,071 --> 01:00:17,771

We were living in.

: 1408

01:00:18,246 --> 01:00:19,886

And I didn't care that they were sleeping.

: 1409

01:00:19,886 --> 01:00:22,656

They actually did have a big exam

the next day and I knew that,

: 1410

01:00:22,656 --> 01:00:24,436

but I was like, this cannot wait.

: 1411

01:00:24,706 --> 01:00:28,156

And I went in there and I like pulled on

their blankets and I jumped up and down.

: 1412

01:00:28,156 --> 01:00:31,456

And I was like, you guys, you

guys, you guys like we're dating.

: 1413

01:00:31,466 --> 01:00:32,946

Like it's official.

: 1414

01:00:32,986 --> 01:00:36,776

Like, and they're like, You've been doing

it for like a month, literally to them.

: 1415

01:00:36,776 --> 01:00:39,766

It was like, Oh, congratulations.

: 1416

01:00:39,776 --> 01:00:43,406

Like, could this not have

waited till the morning?

: 1417

01:00:43,406 --> 01:00:46,946

Like we already knew this was going to

happen, but I told them about the shooting

: 1418

01:00:46,946 --> 01:00:49,216

star and my best friend was so groggy.

: 1419

01:00:49,216 --> 01:00:51,896

She was like, okay, this

is like, this is so great.

: 1420

01:00:51,896 --> 01:00:52,316

Mari.

: 1421

01:00:52,336 --> 01:00:52,816

Okay.

: 1422

01:00:53,386 --> 01:00:57,596

And then I just went back on my way

back to my, my, uh, my dorm room,

: 1423

01:00:57,596 --> 01:01:00,456

stopped at the grotto and just

pour out my heart and praise and

: 1424

01:01:00,456 --> 01:01:02,376

Thanksgiving and things going beautiful.

: 1425

01:01:02,616 --> 01:01:02,996

Yeah.

: 1426

01:01:03,386 --> 01:01:09,806

And then we started our dating era, we

dated for like a year and a half and

: 1427

01:01:10,366 --> 01:01:14,151

those years were still literally like,

Some of the best memories of my life.

: 1428

01:01:14,471 --> 01:01:16,371

It was just so much fun.

: 1429

01:01:16,451 --> 01:01:20,021

Like, I just remember we were

like, like such like childlike,

: 1430

01:01:20,021 --> 01:01:23,721

like little kids, like, just

like so spontaneous and excited.

: 1431

01:01:23,721 --> 01:01:26,641

Like our life was still

so like full together.

: 1432

01:01:26,641 --> 01:01:29,031

Like, I don't know, we didn't

really get out of that honeymoon

: 1433

01:01:29,031 --> 01:01:30,421

phase for like a long time.

: 1434

01:01:30,481 --> 01:01:31,471

I don't think we ever

did when we were dating.

: 1435

01:01:31,721 --> 01:01:33,671

I don't think we ever

did when we were dating.

: 1436

01:01:34,031 --> 01:01:36,791

And it was beautiful because

we were still involved in these

: 1437

01:01:36,801 --> 01:01:39,861

Bible studies, like faith, like,

Like it started our relationship.

: 1438

01:01:39,861 --> 01:01:42,501

It still kept going as like

the center of our relationship.

: 1439

01:01:42,501 --> 01:01:46,021

And we did a few things to continue

to try and cultivate that and to keep

: 1440

01:01:46,031 --> 01:01:47,261

that at the center of our relationship.

: 1441

01:01:47,681 --> 01:01:49,861

And like, that wasn't

something we had done before.

: 1442

01:01:49,861 --> 01:01:52,651

And so we were both like excited

and passionate and like committed

: 1443

01:01:52,651 --> 01:01:55,401

to like making this an important

part of our relationship.

: 1444

01:01:55,401 --> 01:01:58,551

So we did, the Marian consecration

together, the 33 days.

: 1445

01:01:58,551 --> 01:02:00,711

That summer we were apart.

: 1446

01:02:01,221 --> 01:02:06,991

So, to encourage growth in our spiritual

lives and to connect on a deeper

: 1447

01:02:06,991 --> 01:02:10,261

level, we did the 33 Days of Morning

Glory and consecrated ourselves to it.

: 1448

01:02:11,341 --> 01:02:11,761

Yeah.

: 1449

01:02:11,791 --> 01:02:14,781

And then we kind of kept up like

scripture stuff this time, a little bit

: 1450

01:02:14,781 --> 01:02:18,301

more intentionally, I think, like, I

think in the years following, like not

: 1451

01:02:18,301 --> 01:02:21,641

necessarily that spring when we started

dating, but like afterwards, like we

: 1452

01:02:21,641 --> 01:02:25,381

would meet up and do like Lexio or

like go to adoration together or prayer

: 1453

01:02:25,381 --> 01:02:27,421

rosary after mass or something like that.

: 1454

01:02:27,421 --> 01:02:30,691

And, um, started kind of getting

to know each other's friends and.

: 1455

01:02:31,096 --> 01:02:32,356

And just having a great time.

: 1456

01:02:32,356 --> 01:02:33,876

Like it was just so fun.

: 1457

01:02:33,896 --> 01:02:35,546

It was so much fun.

: 1458

01:02:35,596 --> 01:02:38,796

And even though I had already known in

my heart, the whole time that we were

: 1459

01:02:38,796 --> 01:02:43,806

going to get married, I think it was only

like, I don't know, like between month

: 1460

01:02:43,806 --> 01:02:48,306

four and six, maybe, maybe like four and

five that we both kind of were like, we

: 1461

01:02:48,306 --> 01:02:49,736

could really see a future with each other.

: 1462

01:02:49,736 --> 01:02:49,926

Yeah.

: 1463

01:02:49,926 --> 01:02:51,596

At that point, like.

: 1464

01:02:52,361 --> 01:02:55,671

We both knew very, very early

on, like this was the real thing.

: 1465

01:02:55,711 --> 01:02:57,141

This was like the one.

: 1466

01:02:57,301 --> 01:02:57,441

Yeah.

: 1467

01:02:57,491 --> 01:03:00,551

And we kind of talked about that,

trying to be as prudent as possible.

: 1468

01:03:00,551 --> 01:03:03,521

Like Oh, like what do

you want for your future?

: 1469

01:03:03,531 --> 01:03:04,491

where do you want to live?

: 1470

01:03:04,491 --> 01:03:05,711

How many kids do you want?

: 1471

01:03:05,721 --> 01:03:06,951

What do you want your

marriage to look like?

: 1472

01:03:06,951 --> 01:03:07,651

Stuff like that.

: 1473

01:03:07,651 --> 01:03:12,431

And, um, we dated for a year and a

half, like I said, before we got engaged

: 1474

01:03:12,431 --> 01:03:15,441

and that'll have to be a whole nother

episode, actually, like where we dive

: 1475

01:03:15,441 --> 01:03:19,241

into all the details of how we discerned

that God was calling us to get engaged

: 1476

01:03:19,241 --> 01:03:20,271

and how our engagement happened.

: 1477

01:03:20,271 --> 01:03:23,991

We'll have Trey come back

on again to dive into that.

: 1478

01:03:24,001 --> 01:03:25,361

So we'll leave you on that cliffhanger.

: 1479

01:03:25,361 --> 01:03:30,081

But all in all, that's the

scoop on our dating journey.

: 1480

01:03:30,081 --> 01:03:31,548

That's our love story.

: 1481

01:03:31,548 --> 01:03:36,381

And I feel like we haven't told all the

details like this in a really long time.

: 1482

01:03:36,756 --> 01:03:37,006

Yeah.

: 1483

01:03:37,006 --> 01:03:37,686

Long time.

: 1484

01:03:37,736 --> 01:03:38,716

It's fun playing it back.

: 1485

01:03:38,746 --> 01:03:38,966

It is.

: 1486

01:03:38,966 --> 01:03:41,666

Like, it's fun, like, reliving

all those memories with you.

: 1487

01:03:41,886 --> 01:03:42,026

It is.

: 1488

01:03:42,036 --> 01:03:45,356

Like you said, before we were

dating and those dating years were

: 1489

01:03:46,116 --> 01:03:47,136

some of the best years of my life.

: 1490

01:03:47,246 --> 01:03:47,716

Yeah.

: 1491

01:03:47,756 --> 01:03:48,186

Yeah.

: 1492

01:03:48,796 --> 01:03:50,216

That just made me fall

more in love with you.

: 1493

01:03:51,646 --> 01:03:51,986

Me too.

: 1494

01:03:52,606 --> 01:03:53,256

I love you.

: 1495

01:03:53,296 --> 01:03:54,376

Thank you for coming on TV.

: 1496

01:03:54,376 --> 01:03:54,976

Oh my gosh, yes.

: 1497

01:03:54,986 --> 01:03:55,936

And sharing all this.

: 1498

01:03:55,936 --> 01:03:56,086

Absolutely.

: 1499

01:03:56,086 --> 01:03:57,146

I'm so happy to be here.

: 1500

01:03:57,166 --> 01:03:57,786

This was so fun.

: 1501

01:03:58,356 --> 01:03:58,506

Yeah.

: 1502

01:03:58,506 --> 01:04:01,401

I hope you guys enjoyed

hearing, uh, Our love story.

: 1503

01:04:01,461 --> 01:04:01,751

yes.

: 1504

01:04:01,991 --> 01:04:05,831

And I hope it was inspiring to like,

sometimes I look at what the Lord has

: 1505

01:04:05,831 --> 01:04:09,391

called us to do and to like share our

life and like create all this content.

: 1506

01:04:09,391 --> 01:04:11,431

And sometimes it's like, wow,

like I can't believe we're letting

: 1507

01:04:11,431 --> 01:04:12,541

so many people in on our life.

: 1508

01:04:12,541 --> 01:04:16,541

But at the same time, like I

know that the Lord uses our story

: 1509

01:04:16,551 --> 01:04:17,671

to touch other people's hearts.

: 1510

01:04:17,681 --> 01:04:19,921

So I hope that, you know,

if you're in a period of.

: 1511

01:04:20,096 --> 01:04:23,616

discerning or dating or, you

know, wanting to make Christ

: 1512

01:04:23,616 --> 01:04:24,686

the center of your relationship.

: 1513

01:04:24,686 --> 01:04:28,196

And maybe it's not yet, like, I hope

this gave you some practical ways

: 1514

01:04:28,206 --> 01:04:31,636

to be able to do that and some hope

and inspiration, of how to do that.

: 1515

01:04:31,636 --> 01:04:34,906

And if you're like looking for

the one, I hope this gave you

: 1516

01:04:34,906 --> 01:04:38,356

hope that like, there are Catholic

men out there and Catholic girls.

: 1517

01:04:38,626 --> 01:04:38,796

Yeah.

: 1518

01:04:38,976 --> 01:04:39,686

Or Catholic women.

: 1519

01:04:39,686 --> 01:04:43,486

And to like, keep your standards and

make that list and pray for your future

: 1520

01:04:43,486 --> 01:04:46,801

spouse every single night, you guys,

like That's my biggest piece of advice is

: 1521

01:04:47,591 --> 01:04:49,021

work on your relationship with the Lord.

: 1522

01:04:49,061 --> 01:04:50,931

Pray, build your own prayer life.

: 1523

01:04:50,931 --> 01:04:54,201

But like in that prayer routine, like

every day, like pray for your future

: 1524

01:04:54,201 --> 01:04:56,041

spouse and the Lord will bring it.

: 1525

01:04:56,041 --> 01:05:01,001

The boys need the prayer, but also

like, I think it's just a huge testament

: 1526

01:05:01,011 --> 01:05:03,161

to a Christ centered relationship.

: 1527

01:05:03,171 --> 01:05:04,131

Like I never.

: 1528

01:05:04,786 --> 01:05:08,846

Witnessed or like experienced that, like

none of my friends had anything like that.

: 1529

01:05:09,226 --> 01:05:11,856

And so I never knew how to navigate that.

: 1530

01:05:11,856 --> 01:05:15,186

And so I'm really happy that you're

able to share this story with

: 1531

01:05:15,186 --> 01:05:18,766

your audience because it is, it's,

it's very few and far between.

: 1532

01:05:19,146 --> 01:05:22,706

Like these God centered relationships

and we need more of them and

: 1533

01:05:22,716 --> 01:05:24,926

we need more of them and above

all, like they are the best.

: 1534

01:05:24,926 --> 01:05:27,346

They are the best.

: 1535

01:05:27,456 --> 01:05:30,846

So we'll leave you with that next

time we're going to have to dive

: 1536

01:05:30,846 --> 01:05:33,906

into our engagement or something like

that at some point down the road,

: 1537

01:05:33,916 --> 01:05:35,296

because that's another good story.

: 1538

01:05:35,906 --> 01:05:38,316

Okay, but at this point, we've

probably been recording for

: 1539

01:05:38,316 --> 01:05:40,166

like, at least an hour or more.

: 1540

01:05:40,166 --> 01:05:40,516

So.

: 1541

01:05:40,526 --> 01:05:41,706

You're probably tired

of hearing our story.

: 1542

01:05:42,056 --> 01:05:43,596

If you've stayed this long, congrats.

: 1543

01:05:44,456 --> 01:05:47,626

Thank you for holding out

this long, but we gotta go.

: 1544

01:05:47,626 --> 01:05:48,856

So we'll catch you next week.

: 1545

01:05:48,996 --> 01:05:49,216

Bye.