It's Happening!

High School Sweethearts! Kyla and James were friends for years before they started dating. When they met at 13 and 15, they barely talked and, to be honest, if they had they probably wouldn't have gotten along. They started hanging out because of youth group and mutual friends, slowly getting to know the other person in a group setting. It wasn't until they were 16 and 18 when they finally realized that it would be fun to hang out alone. After asking Kyla out at the homecoming football game, James took Kyla for lunch after church at an Italian restaurant in town. The dimly-lit ambiance on a Sunday afternoon spiked all the nerves and to top things off, a friend from high school was their waiter. There, James asked Kyla to winter formal. From that point forward, their relationship continued to grow and develop into what it is today. During those days, Kyla learned how to alter all of her routes so that she would drive by Little Caesars (James' workplace at the time) and James continued to do small, but meaningful, acts like dropping off flowers and ice cream. Their beginning dates consisted of breakfast, movies, and a LOT of hiking. To this day, they still like those things. Once graduation and college searching came around, James and Kyla began long-distance for a bit. Before leaving, Kyla gave James a small sketchbook full of memories from their time together. They didn't take living apart for long, though, because James ended up joining Kyla in Pasadena to study the same degree program. They have had a blast exploring Southern California and creating their life there.

In July of 2019, James and Kyla's church went to France for a missions and equipping trip. They were there to serve and learn from a local church and outreach organization, but James planned much more for that trip. On July 29th, they took a day trip to Paris. It started out a tad rocky, as Kyla accidentally sent the wrong address for her air bnb, making them miss their train. The day was back on track when they caught the next train and were on their way. Stepping off the subway station at Invalides, James asked Kyla to pick a place to sit down in the park so they could "plan out their day". The park was extraordinarily empty, so they found a place in the very middle, facing the Cathedral Saint Louis des Invalides. James brought out a small sketchbook, the same one that Kyla had half-filled with memories two years earlier before moving to Pasadena. He had filled in the remainder with memories and thoughts from the past two years. Tears were shed, to say the least. When James had updated their life story, he concluded the book by tucking the ring in the pocket on the last page. From there, James got down on one knee, took out the ring, and asked, "so... is it cool?". She answered, "yes!!" and the rest is history!