A long time ago in a place not so far away. Toni and Mary met. Here is their story...

In the Fall of 2008, 2 college students taking the ACE train to San Jose State sat next to each other on a crowded bus. Now, usually sitting next to a stranger on a bus doesn't result in anything more that a courteous "hello"; but for Toni and Mary, it was the beginning of a life long friendship.

During the next few years, they moved from being simply train/bus study buddies to friends who went and explored the world. Toni and Mary discovered a shared appreciation of Dickens Fair, Apple Hill, the live theater, and movie premieres.

One adventure that really developed their friendship was going to Disneyland. Back in 2009, Disneyland ran the Free Admission on your birthday promotion. They, along with Mary's mom and sister, embarked on a fun-filled Christmas Day adventure that brought them closer together.

Throughout Mary's graduation from college with a Bachelors in Speech Language Pathology and the rollercoaster of life, they managed to stay friends. Despite Toni moving briefly to Washington State and having Kai,

Toni and Mary maintained their friendship and learned the meaning of true friends.

The friends experienced an awakening of awareness and began officially dating while Toni returned to college for her Bachelors in Recreational Therapy. They began spending more time together and even experienced some relationship struggles, like getting stuck on the I-80 for 24 hours. Their love, respect, and understanding for each other deepened.

With family and friend support and encouragement plus a few long talks with Mary's Grandma Peggy; Toni and Mary went to Disneyland and got engaged. 2019 was a big year with a lot of promise for a wedding in the following year or two.

COVID brought its own struggles including home schooling a 5yr old Kai, and Disneyland closing. Toni and Mary realized that the Bay Area was not where they wanted to stay.

They packed the cars and headed down to Bakersfield looking for a brighter future. Toni quickly got a career job, they bought their first house soon after, and adopted the cutest 11wk old puppy. 2020, what a year.

Bakersfield allowed them to grow together into the strong, independent, and loving women you see today. Their mutual love of Disney and Disneyland has allowed them many opportunities to grow together as a couple and as a family. They are looking forward to this next adventure in life.