Adam & Olivia met in a "The Blessed Life" Connect Group, at Oasis Church, during the late summer of 2019. Adam was on staff as the Director of Volunteers at that time and was leading one of the breakout groups in the "underground." Olivia, who was in the Oasis Internship Program, came down into the room and "felt drawn" to Adam's group. It was there that they slowly started getting to know one another over the next six weeks and things picked up on October 10, 2019 at Nelson Luna's birthday party - at The One Up in Studio City. Little did they know, Nelson and David Lewis had both (independently of one another) been playing wing man and had been laying ground work for them to connect at the party. So when Olivia arrived, Nelson and David both swooped in and put the pair together - and they spent the majority of the night (awkwardly, but pleasantly) talking. By the end of the evening, Adam was ready to ask for Olivia's phone number and had planned to walk her to her car. Another good friend, Stephen Kreiner, unknowingly "intercepted" Olivia and inadvertently walked her out with his wife Kinsey. Undeterred, Adam immediately followed Olivia on instagram - and Olivia followed immediately back. Wasting no time, Adam slid into Olivia's DM's and asked her for a first date. Olivia obliged.

After they started chatting in their instagram DM's, Adam initially asked Olivia to coffee - but the idea of coffee quickly turned into dinner a few nights later. Adam was pretty set on taking her to his favorite pizza place: MidiCi, on Ventura in Studio City. All of Adam's friends vetoed the idea and suggested something nicer - but, Adam knew in his gut that it needed to be pizza. Meanwhile, Olivia who was talking to her roommate and friend Laura after a long day of work, said that she was craving pizza - but knew she was going out the next night. It was then that she prayed a small prayer and said, "Jesus... please tell Adam that I want pizza." When Adam picked her up and pulled up to MiciCi, Olivia flipped out. Having been there just once before, she had forgotten and was SHOCKED to see an olive tree in the center of the restaurant and exclaimed, "Is that an OLIVE TREE?!" Adam: "Yeah... (confused) do you like Olives?" Olivia: "No!" she said, giggling. Little did Adam know the significance that olive trees hold in Olivia's heart. They shared their pizza next to the romantic fire place and both knew they were sharing a meal with someone very special.

After five dates, Adam was ready to make things official and ask Olivia to be his girlfriend. He surprised her with a trip to his favorite place (also known as the Happiest Place) on Earth: Disneyland! It was there that they held hands for the first time walking through Sleeping Beauty Castle. Adam knew he wanted to ask Olivia to be his girlfriend, and was waiting for just the right moment. After the fireworks concluded and they were meandering down Main Street U.S.A. toward the exit, he knew the time was now or never. "Olivia... I wanted to ask you something. Will you be my girlfriend?" In true Olivia fashion (who giggles when she is uncomfortable), started laughing and replied, "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?" And proceeded to bombard Adam with a series of technical questions about expectations for a relationship. Defeated, the rest of the night was pretty uncomfortable for Adam - who thought she had meant no, because she hadn't said yes. Elated, Olivia's mind was reeling even though she had failed to make clear that her answer was in fact: yes. It wasn't until the next day when their dear friend (and fairy godmother) Jacey helped them translate the events for one another - and Olivia clarified that her answer was indeed, "YES!"

They shared their first kiss at the stroke of midnight on NYE 2019-2020. As the countdown began, Adam looked over and gave a slight grin. Olivia giggled nervously, "are you going to kiss me?" Adam nodded, took a swig of champagne... and did. xoxo

On Valentines Day 2020, Adam and Olivia shared that they were both falling in love with each other and went public on social media for the first time. Also on that night, Adam asked Olivia to join him and his family in Maui for their up-coming family vacation in March, 2020...

Adam and Olivia left for Hawaii two days before LA locked down for COVID-19. A few days before the trip ended they started getting "nervous" they actually might get stuck in paradise. They made it back to LA just two days before the islands closed to non-locals for the next year. Although it was incredibly strange to come back to a different world than they had left behind, they acknowledged what a tremendous blessing it had been to spend their final week before lockdown began, in Hawaii. After that, they had to get very creative about dating during a global pandemic and through the social upheavals of 2020. It forced them to have a lot of tough conversations early in their relationship - which ultimately laid the groundwork for them to know in their hearts that they were choosing the right one in each other. It was a stressful time for a budding relationship, but they are thankful for the fruit that they have now, from all of the hard work that they were forced to do then.

...fast forward to October 2022. As they approached their three year dating anniversary and had finished pre-marital counseling (with Adam's high school youth pastors and their wedding officiants - Randy & Jamie Larson) the time had come for Adam to propose. He arranged a seemingly normal (although very nice) date at a Michelin Star restaurant - Otium, in downtown LA. The restaurant is just next door to a beautiful modern art museum called The Broad - and just outside are a grove of 100 year old Olive Trees from Israel. It was after dinner, that Adam led Olivia under the trees to a prearranged romantic spot of candles and flowers, got down on one knee, opened a Tiffany box and presented Olivia with the ring of her dreams! Oh... and she said YES. No hesitation. No uncomfortable giggles. No, "what does this mean?" Just tears, kisses, and YES! Immediately following, they celebrated with close friends at Perch - a rooftop bar in the heart of the LA skyline.