Such a cute couple and story! I'm so happy to share with you today a story from Danielle of how her and her husband met. This is such a great story and so romantic, I love it and I hope you do as well! Thank you so much Danielle for taking the time to write this!
The story of how Jesse and I met…
We first met at youth group summer of 2006. I didn’t know anyone, seeing as it was my first time at youth group, so my youth pastor was taking me around and introducing me to the other youth kids. The next few months, I saw Jesse around but was too distracted by another guy to even think about liking anyone else. Later in the school year I ended up having a geology class with Jesse. One day, he came up to me before class started and began chatting with me. I thought he was cute, but like I said before, I liked someone else at the time. Throughout the class Jesse and I became good friends. He helped me during class with things I didn’t understand. Little did I know how much of a smarty pants he is. One day, while we were working in class, Jesse started telling me about his new girlfriend. I was a little jealous, but at the same time I liked the “other boy” so I was not too upset. After that class was over we kind of stopped talking. We still said hello in the hallways and at church and we did hang out whenever all of our friends would get together, but there were no feelings for about a year and a half.
In December of 2007, Jesse’s girlfriend ended up breaking up with him and my crush on the “other guy” had long since been over with. I heard about the break up and felt bad for Jesse, but I never thought about us together. About a week before White Out (a big youth conference) I saw Jesse at school and he walked over to me and gave me a big hug. I don’t know what happened, but at that moment I knew that I liked him. I just thought it was crazy that a simple hug lit a huge fire. I found out from one of his friends that he liked me too and so we had that awkward stage of us both knowing we liked each other, but neither of us would really say anything about it to one another. On the way up to the conference we sat next to each other on the bus and he taught me how to crochet and we just became really close over that weekend. A dance at our school was coming up (girl ask guy) and I decided I would ask him. My sister and I stayed up until about 1:30 in the morning making this awesome magazine stating all the things I liked about him and at the end, asking him to the dance. It really was a lot cooler than I can try to explain. I didn’t get an answer right away, but he did invite me over to his house for a “crochet party.” We sat on the couch and talked and crocheted together. He had finished his hat while I was still on my third row. Haha. He gave me the hat and I noticed it had some words on it, “YES” it said! I was so excited! What a cute way to answer my question! From that day on we were pretty much inseparable.
We started dating March 1, 2008. Shortly after that I graduated. Jesse still had one more year of high school and also started some classes at Colorado Mesa University. We spent all of our time together. He taught me to snowboard and do backflips. We went on trips together and just had a great time being crazy! We definitely had our ups and downs and did a lot of growing as individuals throughout that year. Even at a time when it was really hard, God helped to bring us closer together. After Jesse graduated we decided to do a YWAM DTS (Youth With A Mission Discipleship Training School). We spent the summer of 2009 in Cimarron, CO learning about God and his character. One night, towards the end of the summer, Jesse and I went out to pray together. We really felt compelled to ask if we were going to be together forever. And WOW did God rock our worlds! We had an amazing time of prayer and really felt that the Lord had brought us together to be married! We came back to Grand Junction for the school year and Jesse started his first year at CMU in the Mechanical Engineering program, while I worked for The Extended Hours Program watching elementary students. December rolled around and for Christmas his gift to me was a premarital counseling class! I was so excited, I cried. Haha. It was very special; it showed me that he was serious and that he was really committing to me. We started our class and also mentored with our amazing friends Chadd and Ana Searcy! They really gave us a lot of good advice and support. In May of 2010 we left for the second half of our YWAM DTS. We went and spent 2 months in Bangkok and northern Thailand! Jesse and I were not able to kiss, hold hands, hug, etc. the whole time! Let me tell you what! That was hard! That trip really made us realize how ready we were to get married! I think that trip was the closest we had been since we had started dating. It was a wonderful experience and I would not change it for one minute! When we got back all we could talk about was getting married.
On August 6, 2010 Jesse and I went to Rifle Falls to go hiking. After we hiked up around the falls, we sat on a bench tucked away behind some trees right next to the waterfall. We ate and then began talking about getting married again.
Jesse then asked me, “What if I got you a rock that was this big?” and picked up a pebble off of the ground.
I replied, “Well, actually that would be a pretty big one.”
Then he asked, “what if I got you one this big?” and pulled a pen out of his backpack.
I said,” That would be an awkward looking diamond.”
He then ran over and picked up a huge rock, “What if I got you one this big?”
I said, “My hand would probably fall off!”
Then he walked up to me, got down on one knee, and asked, “What if I got you one this big?”
I didn’t even say yes! I just cried and laughed and had too many emotions to even handle! We left Rifle Falls and went to a park down in Rifle and he pulled out a blanket and sparkling cider, and my favorite candies, Ferrero Rocher. We just sat and talked and were so excited!
We planned our wedding on January 1, 2011. It was a really great wedding and we had a great time celebrating with our friends and family. For our honeymoon we went to Disney Land in California, enjoying short lines, rainy days, and just spending time with each other. I am truly blessed to be married to my best friend and a true man of God!
And that’s our story! Hope you enjoyed it, I know I did! =D
-Danielle Coquoz
There seems to be so much to say about Chris and I, but I will try not to write a novel. When I was 16, I got a job at Chuck E. Cheese. My first night on the job was August 26, 2005. Little did I know but I was about to meet the man I would spend the rest of my life with. Several boys came into CEC that night to talk to the boss. I didn’t know it at the time but these boys worked there. Anyway, Chris was one of these boys. That night began the rollercoaster of emotions that I had never felt before. There were things I did and did not like about him. I remember thinking he was so cute. He was outgoing and goofy. But he was definitely not a Christian. I did not think anything more of it that night. The next day, I had to work the morning shift. Well who was there, but this cute boy from the night before. He was working the kitchen. Inside, I was so excited that I got to work with the ‘cute’ boy. Later on that morning, I found out that he was dating the girl that trained me the night before…bummer. I only worked weekends and he only worked morning shifts. So the only time I ever worked with him was Saturday mornings. I began to really enjoy working with him. He was fun and made me laugh. About 4 months after I started working there, Chris got promoted to a manager. On Saturday mornings, our boss would buy us Starbucks. Guess who were designated to go get it. Chris and I. That is where our friendship really began to grow. We’d walk to Starbucks. We would talk about any and every thing. We would laugh. I started enjoying him and his company more and more. I found myself having a crush on him. He was unlike other boys in that he respected me and my beliefs by watching his language around me and would apologize when he slipped up. I thought “why would this 19 year old ever be interested in little ol’ me.” I knew I could not like him because he was in a relationship and was not a Christian. I determined that I would not like him but would just be friends with him. I kept it up for a while. I was good at deceiving others (and myself) into believing I did not like him. We were friends at work and that was it. Well our friendship continued to grow and on Memorial Day of 2006, he text me for the first time ever. From then on, we started talking all the time. I had to keep increasing my data plan because we text so much (This was right before they came out with unlimited). I worked on the 4th of July. Chris asked if I had any plans after work, and I said no. So he invited me over to his place to watch fireworks because he lived right by Lincoln Park. Never in a million years did I think my dad would let me but I called him and he said yes! So I went and watched fireworks with Chris, his girlfriend, and some of our coworkers. I had such a good time. One night in August, he text me and was really upset. He and his girlfriend had broken up. We talked for a while. I do not remember exactly what I said but I remember saying the words “I care about you.” I invited him to church the next day. Never did I think he would show up but he did. Not only on that Sunday but on the next Sunday as well. Over the next few months my feelings for him began to grow again. I think I felt I was allowed to like him since he no longer had a girlfriend. I knew there was still one problem: he was not a Christian. I began praying for Chris and his salvation. You might say that I prayed for him for selfish reasons; but he was my friend. Whether we ever ended up together or not, I wanted him to know the Lord. One day, I was talking with one of my coworkers. He mentioned that Chris was seeing someone. I thought it was impossible because surely he would have told me. So I text him and asked him. He told me he was not seeing anyone but was just interested in a girl at work and that they had been talking. I was so disappointed. Little did I know, he actually was very interested in me but thought I was out of his league. Well in October, he and his ex ended up getting back together. I was heartbroken but continued to be friends with him. In November, Chris came to a ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ play at my church. The message of the play worked on his heart, and he ended up getting saved that night! Over the next few weeks, his girlfriend did not like the changes Chris was going through so she broke up with him. My feelings really began to grow, but my parents did not like the situation. They wanted Chris to talk to them if he was interested in me. One night, I was just so overwhelmed with my emotions (teenagers and their emotions!) that I prayed that if Chris and I were meant to be together, that God would work it out; and if we were not supposed to be together, that He would take my feelings away. About a week later, Chris talked to my parents. That was April 30, 2007. He left for a 9 month discipleship training program in August of 2007. Our relationship grew stronger with the distance and with the trials that come with being apart. He got back home in June 2008. Later that year, on October 30, we were engaged; and about 4 months later, on March 7, 2009, we got married.
I am so happy the Lord has brought Chris into my life. He is such a wonderful man and husband. He is my best friend and has been for the last 6 years of my life. -Sharice Pena
