It all began at the innocent age of 11. Chris and I met on a warm summer night at
a local youth group bonfire located on the beautiful beaches of San Clemente. I had
attended the church long enough to recognize an unfamiliar face, so when Chris arrived, I
knew that His was a face I wanted to get to know. I was easily captivated by his welcoming
smile, piercing blue eyes, and his gorgeous blonde locks. As the night progressed, we
exchanged a few smiles and even some laughs while engaging in innocent, yet playful
conversation. We sang worship songs, splashed in the ocean with our friends, and sat
around the fire making s'mores all night. Before I knew it, hours had passed and it was
time for everyone to go home. I couldn't have been more excited for Sunday to come so I
could see him at the 9 a.m. service.

        At church on Sundays and at youth group on Wednesdays I found that somehow Chris
and I always ended up sitting close to one another. It wasn't until our youth group took a
trip to Universal Studios when everything fell into place. I was looking forward to this
trip because I knew it was another day I got to spend getting to know Chris. We spent the
entire day in each other's presence. I remember chills being sent down my spine the moment
when we held hands for the very first time, and the way my heart raced the entire car ride
home as I rested my head on his shoulder. After the trip, Chris and I spent the next few
weeks talking every moment that we could— even sneaking in late night phone calls where we
would make up our own language and wonder if we were looking up at the same night's sky
from our bedroom windows from two separate cities. It was puppy love!

        Unfortunately we began to lose connection as the new school year approached us and
eventually stopped talking all together. There were moments where I would think about
Chris and wonder what he was doing.

        On a summer afternoon, eight years later on the same beach where Chris and I met
when we were just kids, a handsome boy caught my eye as I was walking on the wet sand with
a few of my closest friends. Our eyes met and we exchanged smiles. This boy looked so
familiar. As we passed by each other, I couldn't help but turn to take a second look at
him— only to find that he was looking back at me too. Just moments later, this handsome
boy turned around and began to walk in my direction. We uttered a few words, and before I
knew it, I was being asked to coffee.

         That evening was one I would never forget with the boy that I never forgot, even
after all those years. We spent hours in the coffee shop catching up, reminiscing, and
learning about each other. With every word that he spoke, the only thought that kept
running through my head was wow, he is absolutely perfect— and completely out of my
league. He walked me to my porch as the night came to an end. I closed the door behind me
and released a deep sigh, feeling a mix of emotions knowing that it was the first, and
probably the last time I would be seeing Chris since were both heading back to college,
separated by a six hour drive in two completely different states.

        I was dazzled with Chris's charm and couldn't help but wonder what he thought of
me. He was more alluring than I remembered. I spent the next few days packing for school,
but every so often, Chris would cross my mind.

        I was able to see Chris one last time as he accompanied me on my drive back to
school in San Diego, where he would be meeting with one of his roommates to make their way
to school in Arizona. The whole car ride I wanted nothing more then to reach over and grab
Chris's hand, but I didn't want to come on too strong. After an hour drive together, I
dropped Chris off at his friend's house, regretting not making a move. We went our
separate ways.

        Chris and I continued to keep in touch while we were away at school. Our casual
once-in-a-while texting conversations turned into an every day thing, gradually turning
into phone and video calls. We let our guard down and I found out that Chris was
interested in me too! As things got more serious between us, we began to plan trips where
we could see each other. His second trip to San Diego was magical. Chris shared with me
how he felt and even told me that he LOVED me! We continued to date long distance and made