Our Story

It was October of 2009 when they first met and that encounter was unlike any other.

As soon as they made eye contact, they sensed there was something unique ahead of them. Was it a journey, or a destination? Neyshia bated and Justin chased, but it didn’t take long for them to collide. They built their friendship upon the substance which comprised of long, late-night discussions, passion for many things (definitely food), the joys of spontaneous adventure, and impromptu karaoke sessions.

They were college sweethearts, but didn’t know it then…Primarily because Justin was emotionally unavailable, but they both had growing up to do (definitely not Neyshia, though).

When Justin moved to Washington, they decided to maintain a purely platonic relationship. As he relentlessly worked to make our country a better place, Neyshia forged her career in real estate in Los Angeles. For seven years, both of them sustained unwavering focus on personal growth and professional development, but they never strayed too far from one another.

In May of 2020, in perhaps the most tumultuous time of our generation, Neyshia was in Santa Barbara selling a 4,700-acre ranch and staying in a hotel across the street from Justin. She called and said, “I’m hungry and need a drink.” Justin happened to be making bruschetta with Iberian ham and crushed homegrown cherry tomatoes. This, a scotch, and some Crown Point vino turned into a handful of days at the beach, singing and dancing in his living room, making dinner together, and catching up on life. In a time when everything appeared to be going wrong in the world, this seemed so right. Justin woke up the last morning and realized he wanted to wake up next to Neyshia for the rest of their lives. Neyshia stoically balked at this notion and needed to head home to process this revelation.

Being sane and rational people and thus, with great trepidation, less than a month later, they were both admittedly in love again—or was it that they never lost what they felt the day they met? Undaunted and committed to doing the most insane and irrational thing imaginable, Justin knew he wanted to marry Neyshia and within two months, he stealthily pulled off the proposal of a lifetime and surprised everyone by dropping the knee on August 23rd, 2020. Neyshia, shocked, elated, perplexed, and overwhelmed by emotion, said yes!

A destination is a mere moment in time. Neyshia and Justin have an unwavering commitment to continue and to build upon this journey and to maximize each moment, every destination, with the utmost enthusiasm and joy, enveloped in love and gratitude for the rest of their lives.

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