Never Say Never

Our love story starts in 2023, but our story begins in 2016 at, you guessed it… a Justin Bieber concert. Reece may have been searching for “One Less Lonely Girl”, but Sydney made it clear to Reece that she was not looking for a “Boyfriend”. Reece woke up the next morning with a “Never Say Never” mindset. It wasn’t until seven years later that Reece had built up the bravery to make his move. After seven long years of finding the courage and mastering the perfect plan, Reece was ready to make his smooth move… by liking Sydney's story on Instagram. It couldn’t have happened at a better time because Sydney forgot about Reece and realized she wasn't following him back on Instagram. Reece was thrown off course with his plan because he surely thought Sydney remembered him and she was at least following him on Instagram. Now Reece was thrown into spiral and had to think quick, but not seven years quick. All those years of planning and building courage all came down to one night so he decided to sleep on what his next move will be. The next morning Reece awoke to something he has been waiting seven years for… a chance. He woke up to a request that Sydney had added him on Snapchat. Reece thought it was all a dream, so he decided to go on with his morning and get ready for school. It wasn't until he arrived at school he realized the notification was still there. Reece still isn’t showing the courage he took seven years to build up because Sydney is making all the moves. Reece, a very below average chess player, was not going to let her make the next move. It wasn’t until later that afternoon when Reece was on the football bus to coach in Williston he decided to make the move. After those long seven years, he sent her the smoothest Snapchat in hopes to have her head over heels… “Hey Syd :)”.

The “First” Date

As you may know by now, Reece is very efficient at planning. He was the one asking Sydney out on a date, so he had to come up with this brilliant plan to win over this girl he had a crush on since the Justin Bieber concert. Sydney did not know what she was getting herself into. Reece, the genius planner he is, started brainstorming. He took in account how nervous he will be and how he doesn’t want to make a fool of himself. All of a sudden, a dim light bulb was lit. A bar crawl! Not an organized bar crawl, but a bar crawl that he decided to make up himself. Genius! The night before the big day, Reece was so excited to see Sydney that he invited her to a small dive bar (Vicky’s) in Mandan after beating her alma mater St. Mary’s in football. He knew it was all meant to be when she showed up wearing a Coors sweatshirt, but only to find out she does not like Coors, nonetheless beer in general. As soon as she sat down on that bar stool, they didn’t look back. It was love from that start.

444

If you don’t believe that everything happens for a reason, you might think this story sounds a bit unbelievable. But once you read it, I hope you’ll see that sometimes, God has a way of guiding us in ways we don’t fully understand.

Two weeks before Sydney reconnected with Reece, she started noticing the number "444" everywhere. It was on the clock, in street addresses, license plates—almost too often to be a coincidence. Sydney, skeptical of astrology and signs, brushed it off at first. But the number kept appearing, over and over, to the point where she couldn’t ignore it anymore. Wondering if she was losing her mind, she called her best friend, Katie, to ask if it meant anything. Fast forward to their first date. It was the end of September, and Reece, wearing shorts, showed off his leg sleeve of tattoos. Sydney, intrigued, asked him about the meaning behind them. That’s when her heart skipped a beat: one of his tattoos was the number "444."

In that moment, everything clicked for Sydney. Her mind raced, thinking, Is this why I’ve been seeing this number everywhere? Could it be a sign that he’s the one? Without hesitation, she pulled out her phone and texted her best friend and family: “This is the man I’m going to marry one day.” Now, I know what you're thinking—it might sound a little crazy. But that’s exactly what happened. And look at where they are now. When Sydney told Reece about the "444" sightings, he was equally stunned. He couldn’t believe that the girl he’d had a crush on from the Justin Bieber concert had been seeing the very number that meant so much to him. From the moment they met, Reece knew Sydney was someone special, and by their first date, he was certain she was the one he’d marry.

For Sydney and Reece, "444" became their number, a sign of their connection and a reminder of their love. They see it every day, always at just the right moment, as if God is telling them, You’re on the right path.

Maybe you don’t believe in signs or fate, but for Sydney and Reece, their story proves that sometimes, life has a way of showing you exactly what you need, when you least expect it.

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