BRIAN LOVES STEPHANIE

“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.” -Tim Keller

Ten years ago, I was a wild, bushy-tailed woman-child. I was eating Del Taco at 3 in the morning and listening to Death Cab and going on solo road trips to find myself. But then six years ago I met Jon Farmer. And we were only 23, still young, still new to adulthood. And we have grown up so much in those six years! But Brian and Stephanie have known each other for over a decade! They met as freshman at UCI, and have walked with each other ever since. College, graduate school, more graduate school, a long-distance relationship, jobs, and careers. Brian is a post-doctoral fellow at UCI's biomedical engineering research center. Stephanie is a special education teacher with a love for unicorns and teal. They essentially grew up into adults together this past decade, and the strong friendship anchoring their romance is thick and tangible. It is beautiful. It is real. That is not to say there isn't still more to learn about each other, but rather that even after ten years, they are excited to pursue the person they have known and know them deeper still. This is love. Cheers to the Lunas!