Our Story – Connor and Daniela

Shortly after New Years Day had passed in 2020, I was asked by a friend to attend a dinner celebration for his future in-law’s 37th wedding anniversary, which seemed like a strange request at the time as it is more of a familial event to hold. Reluctantly, I agreed to attend since I did not have any other plans that evening. My initial thought was my friend asked me to join in the celebration because almost all in attendance were native Spanish speakers. Neither him nor I could speak much Spanish at the time, so he needed someone to converse with throughout the night when the family would flow between both languages without hesitation; at least, that is what I convinced myself to be the only justifiable reason. The group that met included my friend, his fiancé, her parents and sister, and another couple. Later that same evening, when things began to wind down and all were ready to head their separate ways, my friend mentioned the idea of going to Milwaukee that weekend, which sounded like a fun time to me. After agreeing to the idea, I was asked of one more favor to complete for him, which was to drive his future sister-in-law there, since I lived the closest to her. Little did I know at the time, accepting that one small favor would lead me to the first of many car rides with the woman I would spend the rest of my days with my friend’s sister-in-law, Daniela.

The following months were filled with many challenges, but especially for a new relationship. The majority of our communication was maintained virtually with a handful of in- person meetings occurring in outdoor settings due to the global pandemic we all knew as COVID-19. As pre-pandemic normalcies started to gradually return to our daily lives, we were able to start seeing each other with more frequency and began to travel together to experience what relationships were like before the pandemic. But, right on queue, Dani was packing her bags to go back to the country she called home all her life, Colombia, needing to finish her final two years of school. Most of these days were spent speaking through a phone again; however, we were fortunate enough to travel together during her summer and winter breaks of schooling to the point where we probably saw each other more living on separate continents than we did during the lockdown. With our situation being unique in many aspects, we discussed our future together frequently as her time as a student in Colombia was coming to a close. With as significant as the “big question” is and whether the timing is right or not, the answer could not have been clearer to me that I wanted to spend the rest of my life living and growing with Daniela. So, while in Colombia in April 2023, it came as no surprise to her or her parents when I asked her dad for his permission to take his youngest daughter’s hand in marriage. We “officially” were engaged shortly after in July 2023 during her last trip to the United States as a visitor. During that time, we celebrated with family and friends and began to set up dates for our wedding(s). In August, Dani had return to Colombia for two more months to spend more time with her parents and for her official graduation ceremony in October. Fortunately, I was able to attend the ceremony with her family to help congratulate her on an outstanding achievement.

One week later, we were flying back to the states, where Dani was going to be able to call her new home for good. Since then, we have continued to plan our “second” wedding that is scheduled for August 10th of this year and spent time with friends and family, continuing to grow together and learn from one another.