We met during the summer of 2022, after James was stationed at Camp Lejeune and McKenzie began Culinary School in Morehead City. We both joined the same Catholic Young Adult group, and met at a Potluck Dinner. Soon after that, we started attending Mass together, and from there it was a short step to our first official date, a seafood festival on October First. (Our date the previous day was canceled due to a hurricane.)

We've spent the last year and a half attending church events, seeing everything there is to see on the coast, and falling in love.