It was early in Jessica’s freshman year at USC that her attention was captured by a tall, quiet young man she passed in the halls of the computer science building every day...
They didn’t share any classes together, she didn’t even know his name, but something about his kind brown eyes and quiet demeanor made her want to say hi. It could have been one of the many moments in life where we feel a pull towards another human being and we just let it pass by, but Jessica had the opportunity day after day as they passed in the hall and so finally, still too shy to say hi to a stranger, she decided to write him a note and slip it to him as she went by. If he was involved with someone else or wasn’t interested she had at least made the attempt. As it turned out,she would soon learn the quiet young man’s name was Trevor, he wasn’t involved with anyone else and he definitely was interested. He called that night and they talked for hours. During the course of the conversation Jessica,a huge animal lover, shared her plans to visit Project Pet a local rescue organization,for their freshman community service project and Trevor agreed to join her since he had his community service project to complete as well.
Through visits to Project Pet and long talks their friendship and eventually relationship grew and along with their commitment to each other and their school work they also continued to be committed to helping homeless animals find a safe and forever home. Eventually they worked with an organization called Homeward Bound and over the course of one year fostered 12 dogs until they were able to find permanent homes. It was while fostering their 13th dog, an older, soft eyed, fearful beagle they called Annie, that they began to talk of forever plans. Adopting Annie was step number one, and as they graduated USC, Trevor began his first job and Jessica worked two part time jobs and pursued her masters.
On December 5th, the day before Jessica’s 25th birthday Trevor and Annie proposed, just the three of them in their tiny apartment, in the same quiet and unassuming way they continue to live their lives and in September of 2015 they hope to make it official. Although they do not have the ability to finance a large wedding Jessica and Trevor plan to create a fun and intimate celebration for their close family and friends with a DIY non traditional wedding.
Lori and Alan
