FROM THE BRIDE // We first met in elementary school while in the same fifth grade class.  We took ballroom dance class together, and Ray remembered me as the first girl he ever danced with (even though I completely forgot about the dancing!)  We went on to  attend the same high school and college, but never really crossed direct paths.  We reconnected after college through Facebook, and kept in touch over the years.  I always knew him as the nice  guy who bent over backwards whenever I needed help, particularly when I ran into car trouble.  It wasn’t until May 2013, though, when we were both back in the same city we grew up in, that we started dating.  We quickly discovered we shared similar interests and values, and confirmed what we suspected all along – that there was something special between us.   In fall of 2014, we took our first “big” vacation together to New Orleans and a Caribbean cruise. Our trip was packed with sightseeing, kayaking in the open ocean,  and climbing up a 180-foot waterfall.  On one particular day though, we were stuck in the midst of a huge rain storm – instead of venturing outside and braving the elements, Ray  suggested staying “indoors” and  going engagement ring shopping together.  He ended up buying the ring!  Ray officially proposed a couple weeks later while we were wine tasting in Temecula.  It took twenty years for us to finally come together, but as the old saying goes, better late than never!