Sam and Elisa have known each other since junior high.  They were both involved in the LACRC youth group but their interactions were limited.  Although they considered each other as “friends” Sam and Elisa had their separate groups.  The two of them grew up side by side not knowing what God had in store.  In high school, Sam moved far away and their weak friendship became an old memory.  They both continued on their separate ways as college awaited them; Sam was at Wheaton in Chicago and Elisa was at Occidental in Los Angeles.  Their paths suddenly merged one cold winter’s day in December of 1995.

Sam had decided to leave Chicago’s bitter winter and spend his vacation in Los Angeles.  It so happened that Elisa went to college with one of Sam’s old LACRC buddies, Paul Kim.  Throughout that winter vacation the three of them spent a lot of time together.  Two musicals were playing in Los Angeles that winter: Les Miserables and Beauty and the Beast. Sam began his magic and began to sweep Elisa off her feet.  His first two (double) dates with Elisa were to these musicals all in the same week.  On the car ride home on the second date Sam sat in the back seat with Elisa.  They began to talk about the group ski trip up to Mammoth planned for the following week.  Sam, the expert skier that he is, made Elisa pinky promise him to give him private ski lessons.  She agreed and under the last bridge of the 110N, they interlocked fingers. 

That was when Sam’s world turned right side up and Elisa’s world turned upside down.  Throughout the rest of their winter vacation, Sam continued to turn his tactics on Elisa and no matter how hard she tried to resist she always gave in to his charm.  Like all good things, Elisa thought that their renewed friendship had to come to an end when Sam had to go back to school.  Sam convinced Elisa otherwise and to prove his commitment to her he took a leave of absence and moved out to Los Angeles.  And from that point on the rest is history………..