Karina: My story begins in a Catechism class at Holy Name of Mary where I met a boy who was quiet and kind. We didn’t talk much in that class, but at some point we were put into a group together and that was the first time I got to see a spark of who he was. He was extremely shy and even more kind. During the course of the class I heard that he had a crush on me, but I didn’t believe it! How could he have a crush on me when we had hardly spoken. I don’t remember how it happened, but we exchanged phone numbers, and we started texting all the time. It was a while before we went on our first date and when it finally came that shy boy still had a hard time talking to me face to face. But after that first date we started talking nonstop on the phone and we would see each other as much as possible. We were only in high school and just 16 years old, but it felt like the love of a lifetime. We've gone through so much together: college, long distance, grad school, the pandemic. It almost feels like a miracle that we have come this far, but in truth it took a lot of patience, love, and growth. And through each life stage Chris has always believed in me and encouraged me to be my best self. I'm so lucky to have found my best friend and life partner.  

Chris: 

I’ve always thought it was a crazy idea to have known someone for so long that you can’t remember the first time you met. Its even crazier when one of those people ends up being the person you marry. The first instance may be hard to remember, but what I do remember is one of the first things I thought about her: Beauty. She was stunning, too stunning for me to ever imagine being with her, but that was okay with me, I knew who she was and she knew who I was and that was enough for me. As time went on, we began to get to know each other a little more, just in passing. She would try to talk to me about random things middle schoolers talk about, and I would just sit there quietly like the awkward little boy I was. That pretty much describes a lot of our initial interactions. Some of you may still see me as a bit quiet, but trust me it was NOTHING compared to when I was in middle school. Any normal person would have given up after the first few times trying to initiate a conversation, but she wasn’t normal, and that’s why I loved her.

Slowly but surely my walls came crumbling down, which was scary for me at the time, but looking back it was one of the most pivotal moments in my life. Not only a moment where the relationship I cherish more than anything began, but the moment where I started to grow into the man I am today. As I got to know Karina more, I quickly realized that her beauty radiated just as much on the inside as it did on the outside.  Her confidence was unwavering, her kindness was unconditional, and her ability to see good in others was inspiring.

Karina has done more for me that anyone could ever imagine. She helped me see the beauty in myself that I didn’t realize was there, the same kind of beauty that I admired and continue to admire in her. A “soulmate” is a word that gets tossed around often in my opinion, but Karina is just that, my soulmate.