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Lara and André are getting married, I don't think anyone ever saw that coming.
During the first year, everything was new, lots of outings, trips, new friendships. But, in 2022, Lara had no one to spend Christmas with. She called Thais, and crying said that she didn't want to be alone, and she said to her “have you talked to André yet?”. Obviously Lara said no, after all they had never been close, but Thais immediately added André to the call and asked what his plans were for Christmas. André confirmed that he would be staying home and Lara could go over. André had recently moved to Indiana, to a house with a yard that Eva would love to play in. Lara never thought about going to Indiana, let alone living there (nor had André really, lol), but she accepted the invitation anyway and bought tickets to the middle of the cornfield.
Lara is Brazilian, Gemini, extroverted, 100% emotional, dietitian, a hurricane personified. André is American, Virgo, reserved, 100% rational, US Marine, calmness personified. And then you think, where did these two stories come together? I can tell you that there were many near misses...
In mid-2010, André moved to Brazil, Vila–Velha – ES, to start high school at Marista. In 2010, Lara was graduating from the same school and in 2011 she would start college in Viçosa, Minas Gerais. At school, André met Lara's sister, Thais, the couple's future cupid, with whom he formed a beautiful friendship and today they are still best friends. In 2013, André had graduated high school and also left for Viçosa to start college together with Thais and Pedro, another very close friend and now groomsman for the wedding. However, in 2013, Lara was leaving for the USA to do a student exchange program in Rhode Island. In 2014, when Lara returned to Brazil, it was André's turn to leave Viçosa and soon moved to the USA. André decided to follow another path and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2016. He served actively for 6 years in various places, including Japan and Korea. If you don't know, the Marines in the US are the badasses of this country, so imagine how lucky Lara is! During all these years, Lara was in Viçosa, where she finished college, got a master's degree, then a PhD, adopted a dog, Eva Maria, and returned to Vila Velha to start teaching at a private university. Come to think of it, André's pretty lucky too. It's not every day that you come across a woman like Lara with a beautiful Border Collie mix as a combo package. Looking back at it now, it seems that all these years were essential so that when Lara and André met again, they were both mature and prepared to live their love. Today we see how perfect God's timing is.
In 2021, Lara was at home praying and God said very clearly that she would return to the USA, but this time it would be to meet her husband, and in the future, the children that He would give her. Lara was initially confused, as she didn't know when or how this would happen, but she knew that when it comes to God's plans, doors open and everything works out. It was a few months of hard work finishing her PhD, teaching, working as a dietetian, applying for post-doc opportunities, preparing for interviews...until she was approved for a post-doc at Drexel University in Philadelphia – PA. So, now it was time to sell everything and speed up the visa, after all, God had promised a husband and a family. Initially Lara was afraid of feeling alone, of adapting, but when talking to Thais, she told her “you won't be alone, André's in the US too”. Little did Lara know that she actually had André, that God's plan actually involved him. In October 2021, Lara and Eva arrived in the USA.
After all this context, here, on Christmas Day of 2022, the story of Lara and André began. A little cliché like every good Christmas romantic comedy film. A brief synopsis would be: The guy's best friend's sister went to visit the city at the most beautiful time of the year, Christmas, and they fell in love. All her close friends speculated that this visit wouldn't just be about friendship, but Lara remembered André as a teenager when he was in high school and said it would never happen. You should have seen her face when she saw André after 10 years, aged 29, taller, stockier and beardier. André was no longer a teenager, that’s crazy, right? André said the same to his friends, “no, she’s my best friend’s sister, nothing's gonna happen”. As incredible as it may seem, they had everything in common. The conversations were long and the connection was immediate. André loves animals and since day 1 adopted Eva as his daughter.
They have the same sense of humor, so the laughter and fun was natural. They both love Harry Potter, have read all the books and binged all the movies together. After Christmas, they put Eva in the car and headed to Chicago for New Year's Eve. There, they followed the romcom tradition and had their first kiss of 2023 at midnight.
The next day, they had their first date, a delicious brunch.
They walked around, got to know each other more, and there, they began to think about the pros and cons of this relationship and when they would see each other again. André made it clear that he had never dated, that he was waiting for the right person to date, the one he would marry. He also said that he didn't really believe in long-distance relationships. Lara, on the other hand, was in a happy, complete phase, focused on her new job and getting her green card to stay in the country for longer. However, do you remember God’s promise? Lara also hadn't forgotten. She prayed every day for her husband and maintained her faith that God would be preparing everything. Lara just didn't expect that her husband was André and that he lived in Indiana of all places, and not in NY, Florida or California like in the movies.
In 2023, there were many flights between Indiana and Texas, many hours on the phone, a lot of effort on both sides to get to know each other better and be present. When they weren't traveling for work, they were traveling to see each other. They made distant plans to always have the next opportunity to meet. The feeling grew little by little, everything was very light, pleasant to feel and experience.
In April, there was that proposal, once again, worthy of a movie. André made a dinner reservation at an incredible 2 Michelin Star restaurant in Dallas, bought a diamond ring, and asked Lara to be his girlfriend. It had to be special, after all, Lara would be his first (and only) girlfriend. It was a dream night, perfect, unforgettable.
The year flew by and every time they saw each other it was another adventure. In June, they went to a friend's (now groomsman) wedding in Puerto Rico, where Lara met many of the Marines who served with André.
In October, they went to Orlando. Lara gave André the best birthday present he could get, tickets to the Harry Potter parks.
They also went to a JP Saxe and John Mayer concert, another super-romantic date, where they discovered the couple's song, The Few Things, which is probably playing in the background right now. In November, they traveled to Virginia for the annual Marine Corps Ball. There were many moments that gave them the certainty that they wanted to be together.
On December 28, 2023, exactly 1 year after the first kiss, the proposal came. André thought of everything, including her nails being done. He knew this was important to her, so he arranged with his friend's wife to invite Lara out and get her nails done a few days before. Lara went along and didn't suspect anything. André bought a bouquet with sunflowers, candles, arranged everything and when Lara least expected it, outside the house with Eva playing in the yard, he knelt down and said that this was the happiest year of his life, that he loves her very much and would like to spend the rest of their lives together. Movie scene, right? Lara was moved, and without any doubt in her heart, said YES! There has never been so much certainty. The couple's song said “You're one of the few things that I'm sure of…”. André is God's promise in Lara's life, and Lara is the woman he has been waiting for all these years. God is good and keeps his promises. On May 24, 2025, you will witness God's love for Lara and André and the love they feel for each other.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine”
Ephesians 3:20
To be continued...