We're getting married!

We "met" in 8th grade. I (Apryl) put quotations around met because neither one of us can corroborate a first official introduction. Raymond had moved to Houston from the Valley area, TX and settled in to attending Wells Middle School. That's when it happened. He saw this beautiful, long-legged cheerleader and fell in love. All of this occurred unbeknownst to me of course. We did end up having lots of mutual friends, which did actually lead us to "meet". Moving on to high school, our friends began turning 15 so we both had quite a few quinceaneras to attend. As fate would have it, we both were asked to stand in one friend's quince and were assigned to be dance partners. This should be the part of the story where they say the rest is history right? Nope! Raymond decided that he wanted to play it cool and not make a move. A decision I still won't let him live down to this day lol. In the end we became real friends and continued that friendship for over 20 years.

There is really only one word to described how we fell in love...fast! Being that we already had an established foundation of friendship, it allowed both of us to sprint from like to love. But it almost didn't happen. Prior to establishing a relationship, we both had previously vowed to not do one thing we had previously done. For Raymond it was not entering into another relationship while being incarcerated, and for me, it was never crossing the line of friendship with a real friend again. But like they say, the heart wants what the heart wants. In March 2021 I came down with Covid. I had nothing but time on my hands because all I could do was lay in bed. Raymand called every day and we would just talk for hours. However it wasn't until one fateful night while folding laundry, I broke down. I was at my lowest when Raymond called. I gave him two options, either call me later or, just listen to me cry. Of course he did neither. He proceeded to try to make me laugh which I'll (reluctantly) admit he was successful. But it was what he said to me before we got off the phone that made me see him differently. He asked me if he could pray for me, when I said yes he proceeded to pray for me with such fierce conviction I was taken aback. I had never had that type experience before. At that moment, I knew he was the one.

After "laundry night" (as Raymond dub it) I knew I wanted to be with Raymond but I also knew it was going to be on me to bring it up to make it official. (There is a whole back story to that but it's a story for a different day *wink wink.) So, I asked him if he would ask me again to take his heart and protect it. On March 28, 2021 we became an official couple. Now remember when I said the best word to describe how we fell in love was fast? Well Raymond stepped all the way on the gas and proposed to me over the phone just 18 DAYS later. It truly was a beautiful moment between just the two of us. There was just no doubt, no second guessing...this was it for the both of us and I tell him all the time, saying yes was one of the single best decisions I've made in my life.