Ho'omana'o i ka la nui o kakou

It feels surreal, standing here in this moment, ready to marry the person who first captured my heart in high school. Life has taken us on such different paths since those days in Hawaii. We still remember how inseparable we were; daily drives to school, proms, working together at Penguin's Yogurt and always how we promised to keep in touch, even as we headed off to college. Time, however, had its own plans. We lost contact and years turned into decades filled with careers, adventures, and experiences that shaped us in ways we never could have imagined. Occasionally, we'd find ourselves wondering about one another, where we were, and what kind of life we were leading and hoping each other were enjoying life. We found ourselves 80 miles apart. It started with a few texts on social media, tentatively at first, sharing stories and pictures of our journeys and realizing we still had a lot in common. It felt like no time had passed, yet we were both so much wiser, having been molded by life's ups and downs. Our conversations grew deeper, the connection stronger, and it wasn't long before we found ourselves in each other's lives once more. Those feelings from high school rekindled, but now they were richer, layered with the understanding and appreciation that comes with age. And here we are, thirty plus years later, standing on the brink of forever. It's hard to believe that the people we were, young and uncertain, who shared each other's dreams and fears, will now be partners for life. It's a testament to the timelessness of true love and the mysterious ways in which life brings people back together. As we prepare to marry each other, we can't help but marvel at the journey that brought us here. It wasn't always easy, but it was always meant to be. Here's to the past that shaped us, the present that unites us, and the future that awaits us.