I never understood what it felt like to be in "God's perfect timing" or how people say "one small decision can change your entire life" until now. If you were to tell either of us that one little decision to go to a college party after a national pandemic lockdown would change our lives forever, I do not think either of us would've believed you, yet here we are.

On August 7th, 2020, neither one of us planned on attending that college town party. I was in sweats, ready to call it a night, til I got a text from my friends saying they were 3 minutes away and we were going to this party. Over in Tickfaw, a similar situation unfolded for TJ when his roommate last minute, twisted his arm to go out to the same party.

As soon as I got there I started to tell everyone hello but my mind went straight to "Who is that hot guy?" as I came around the corner. Then I started asking, "Who is the hot guy playing beer pong?" I asked every close friend, but no one knew since the party was a mix of all different ages. At the time, I was going into my sophomore year of college, and he was going into his senior year.

So finally, after asking everyone I knew, I said, "Forget it, I am going to talk to him myself!" My friends looked at me as if I were crazy, but I had no other choice if I wanted to talk to him. It felt like he was playing beer pong for hours, but there was money on each game, so I did not want to interrupt, but when I noticed the opposing team walked away, so did his partner!

I hopped down from the counter I was sitting on and asked him if he had a girlfriend and if I could have next game. He looked a little caught off guard but said no he didn't have a girlfriend and then said yes I could have next game!

I was so happy but now I really had to break the news. It was only me, so I needed him to be my partner to play the game, and of course, I ask this as his friend is walking back over to him. Nervous was an understatement, but he said yes and kicked one of his best friends off the table to be my beer pong partner. Not only did I go through all of this just to talk to him, but now I am fully invested in playing beerpong, and I WAS HORRIBLE AT BEER PONG... but I didn’t care because I was partners with the hot guy at the party.

After our game, I told him thank you for being my partner, and I finally asked his name, then panicked and asked for his snapchat… we both kinda laughed at that one, but being the sweetheart he is , he said yes! So from that night, into the next day, we talked a bit, but after that, we fell off.

Life went on, and time went by without us ever seeing each other or hearing from each other again. Then somehow, fast forward a year and a half later, I am finishing my junior year of college and he is graduated, and as I am getting off a plane at 2 am I am asking the HOT GUY from the party if my dress will work for the Mardi Gras ball that would end up being our first date of many.

Looking back, it is crazy that a college party will always have such a special place in our hearts, and how a total stranger turns into your best friend and the person you build a life with. Neither one of us can truly explain how we found our way back to each other, other than by God's perfect timing and his plan for us and our future together.

And for that, we are forever grateful and cannot wait to see where this life takes us!

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