From the beginning
When people ask, “When did you meet?” the best answer is always, “Which time?”
We first crossed paths in 2017, during our first year at our small college in San Marcos. Back then you could have said we were two sides of the same coin—both living with athletes, which meant our paths crossed quite a bit. Our early encounters were simple—running into each other at events, around campus, and at a few group hangouts. We knew of each other, but we didn’t really know each other.
Then in 2021, we finally connected on a deeper level. And we can thank KIA, (yes, the car company), for that. Each of us with shiny new cars in hand—(mine’s better, obviously-Madyson)—we started talking more and reconnecting after all those years of just casual acquaintance.
It was Mady’s graduation party in May of 2021 that really solidified things. Jacob was planning to go home to Ventura, but with a last-minute invite (I barely got invited -Jacob) and his friends, Raven and Caden, convincing him to attend the party, he decided to ‘stop by’. He ended up staying through it all (literally). It was instant—something clicked, and we knew we were in this for the long haul. The icing on the cake was when we found out that both of our moms share the same name (Shoutout to the De(e)annas, as we like to call them). At that point, even with Jacob living three hours away, our relationship it felt effortless. We talked every day, laughed endlessly, and stayed up late learning everything there was to know about each other.
Our first date? Sushi, of course. It became our go to spot anytime somebody came to visit, or when we were planning a dinner. Then, in August, Jacob had the chance to move back to San Diego (no, not for me but I always joke that it was-Madyson). From that point, we really grew as a couple. We both knew early on that this was the real deal—that we were each other’s person, and that we wanted to spend our lives together.
It’s easy to love someone when you share the same values. We love God, we love our families, and we love each other. We laugh at the little things, cry through the hard things, and celebrate life’s milestone together, always there for each other in every season.
We’ve been building our life together, piece by piece, and now we can’t wait to get married and continue that journey. We will be so excited to have our family and friends by our side as we celebrate this next chapter. You all are the most important people in our lives, and we can’t wait to share this day with you.
Here’s to the future Alonzos!!
1 John 4:19 ~ “We love because he first loved us.”
