JC and I first met when we were about 12-13 years old at the UCF basketball gym during a weekend of the Filipino Basketball League. I was casually shooting around in my basketball shorts and ponytail, with no makeup, and JC had a huge crush on me! He later told me that he asked my brother (without knowing we were related at the time) if he thought that girl was pretty—you can only imagine Brandon's reaction when he replied, "What...? That's my sister!" I would often see JC at various Filipino parties, fishing trips, and basketball games. I always thought he was so easy-going, very friendly, and had the sweetest soul.

Throughout high school, we remained good friends. When JC liked me, I didn't like him back; when I caught feelings, he didn't like me. The timing was never right for us back then.

Years went by, and as JC was discharging from the Army, I was graduating with my Master's degree. Long story short: I slid into his DMs! After eight years of living our own lives, we reconnected and caught up. We shared our testimonies, spoke about how the Lord had been faithful in our journeys, and discussed our hobbies. JC asked me to be his girlfriend, visited from Hawaii, and the rest is history. We bond over working out, trying new foods, visiting new places, anime, video games, and Dungeons & Dragons (for our first Valentine's Day, we played a one-shot campaign with his groomsman, Frue, and I got hooked!). We cannot wait to start our future together and see what the Lord has in store for us. The best is truly yet to come!

— Alyssa

The first time I laid eyes on Alyssa, I was instantly smitten. I remember thinking she was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen, even if she was 5 inches taller than me at the time. I was always too nervous to approach or speak to her, until one summer day when the families of the Filipino group went fishing. After months of crushing on her from a distance, she ended up being the one to approach me during the fishing trip. I remember her being so friendly and kind, and I was extremely nervous. It was then that she gave me her phone number, and we started our friendship. We texted all the time, becoming closer as time passed. Unfortunately for me, she began dating other people, and I became a friend on the sidelines.

Eventually, I learned to let go of these emotions and prioritize being a good friend, but then the roles reversed, and I was the one being pursued, with no intention to reciprocate her feelings. When one of us was interested, the other wasn't, and the timing was never right. Our friendship took a nosedive shortly after, and we stopped speaking to one another. I remember showing up to her Sweet Sixteen to be courteous and cordial, and ended up being one of the Sixteen Roses that danced with her. You can imagine how awkward that was. After that, we never spoke again.

Eight years would pass before we would start talking to one another again, and we both had changed significantly since our last meeting. I was on the verge of leaving the Army and preparing for my transition to civilian life, pursuing a career in law enforcement in San Jose, California. With all my ducks in a row, I was ready to begin my life anew. But God had other plans and brought Alyssa back into my life. In the end, I knew I had to trust God and take a leap of faith, so in the very last moments, I pivoted my entire life to move back to Florida to be with her. It was the scariest and most chaotic thing I’ve done to date, and it was the best decision I ever made.

- JC