Ryan and I first locked eyes at a Saturday afternoon meeting of our Corona del Sol high school FCA Club (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). I was a sophomore, joining the group for the first time and he was in his junior year.  Don’t let the club name fool you. I was by no means an “athlete”, but his endless hours of basketball and track made him a shoe in.  Luckily for me, the “Christian” part was the real common denominator.  Ryan swears I was wearing a black dress. I rarely wore dresses back then so I have no recollection of that at all. I kinda like that in his memory of our first meeting I sound a bit more elegant than I probably was in my typical jeans and t-shirt attire. It wasn’t love at first sight, but we were fast friends. We attended the same church youth group, the same high school and hung out with the same group of friends. We became a very regular part of each other’s lives for the next six months. It wasn’t until he casually asked me if I “liked” anybody, that I started to realize he might be interested in something beyond friendship. A few weeks later, as Ryan was driving me home he told me he wanted to ask me out on a date. I was so excited! At the age of 16, it would be my first “real” date.

The next day was February 10, 1998. It was a half day. After our discussion in the car, I knew Ryan would be up to something.  If there was one thing I had learned about him and the other guys in our group during our months of friendship, it was this – they were all about creativity.  Asking a girl out wasn’t just a question, it was an opportunity for a big production! I’d witnessed these ventures before, but it was the first time I’d ever been on  the receiving end! I had no idea what to expect, but I knew I’d never forget it.

After class, I walked down the drama hallway to meet up with Ryan and our BFFs Matthew and Julie.  As we dined on typical high school delicacies (at Burger King) we laughed and chatted, all the while I was dying to know what was up his sleeve.  Finally, as we were finishing our meal, Ryan handed me a note card. On it was a clue:

And so the adventure began! Clue number one was just the start of an epic scavenger hunt. What began in a pit of colored balls at Burger King would lead us to a car dealership, Ryan’s house, and the YMCA.  Note cards would be hidden in car tailpipes, tied to Ryan’s dog’s collar, and attached to Matthew’s mom as she ran on a treadmill at the Y!  Every clue was silly and completely adorable :-) Just like Ryan.  The final note card was resting under a basketball at the YMCA. It read:

Pretty sweet pick up line for a 16 year old, right? I looked up from the card and saw Ryan standing before me with a big smile on his face, holding a heart shaped chocolate in a red wrapper up to his forehead. He handed it to me and told me to unwrap it. Inside I found a small note beneath the slightly melted chocolate. It held the six words I’d been waiting to hear all day.

“Will you go out with me?”

As you can guess. I said yes :-) This photo was taken four days later on Valentine’s Day. It was the first photo ever taken of us as a couple. As far as photos go it’s pretty awful, but momentous nonetheless. It would be just the first of a lifetime of memories together.

Want to read more about our love story?

• OUR LOVE STORY | PART I | THE SCAVENGER HUNT
• OUR LOVE STORY | PART II | A MOUNTAIN TOP PROM ASK
• OUR LOVE STORY | PART III | PROM NIGHT
• OUR LOVE STORY | PART IV | A PERFECT PROPOSAL
• OUR LOVE STORY | PART V | OUR WEDDING
• OUR LOVE STORY | PART VI | OUR HONEYMOON