Matt Grodsky and Laura Scheel have felt a strong connection since they met at the age of three. Their paths diverged due to their age difference at the time. Their memories of each other seemed to be relegated to the past until fate would finally reunite them. They met when they both went to the same preschool in Phoenix, Arizona, 25 years ago. Their friendship would grow from this first meeting.The two toddlers were not yet fully capable of understanding love and friendship, yet couldn’t help but be obsessed with one another. Their loyalty was unconditional, and they remained inseparable.
Gordan says:
I don’t remember the first time I saw her, but she was always a girl who let me follow her around.
Teachers and parents noticed their cute friendship, but they didn’t pay much attention to it. It seemed like two kids playing, and they weren’t aware of the bond between the two. Bonds aren’t easily broken with such strength. Grodsky was the one who kept returning to them at the beginning of their friendship. Scheel would follow him around the playground. He always made her laugh, and she always thought he was funny.Both of them have always been attached to each other and couldn’t get enough of each other.
After spending more time together, they saw how important their friendship was to each other. After the preschool started arranging bi-monthly field trips, they spent as much time as possible with each other. Each trip gave them a chance to hang out with each other. They found new activities to do together every time since they spent so much time together. When they were together, they enjoyed going to the public library and reading books. Scheel always had a great time around Grodsky since he always made her laugh. They began to hold hands wherever they went as they got closer. Their childhood friends bet on their relationship often, and it was cute to see how things turned out.
He made her laugh and felt blessed at the same time. Scheel was once impressed by Grodsky’s ability to smash the pinata open and give the candy within at Cinco de Mayo. He knew he would have to buy Scheel candy since she loved it so much. In return, Schoel taught Grodsky everything she knew. Using the swings and drawing rolling hills were among the things that she taught him. Scheel also led him on how to eat string cheese the “proper” way. Both did something for the other, and people were always in awe of their beautiful friendship.
Grodsky explained.
When you like someone, you just kind of stand up and say it,”
Scheel and Grodsky hung out despite Grodsky’s words not being taken too seriously. Throughout preschool, Grodsky and Scheel remained best friends and spent plenty of time together. Almost every weekend, the two went to each other’s birthday parties and set up playdates. Their teachers had never before witnessed a bond of this kind. It wasn’t clear to the kids, though, that their fate would work against them. If you’re having a good time, time passes quickly. They were already in kindergarten before they knew it. Parents couldn’t believe their children were starting school already. Their first steps seem like they were just yesterday! It would be impossible for the kids to attend separate schools. Children assumed they would keep spending time with their parents as long as they worked something out. There was quite a surprise in store for them, and it was not a good one.
Parents had different plans for their children. As a result, the preschool lovers will be attending other schools. Despite their differences, they had no option but to agree. What was planned had to be followed by the kids. Separating the pair didn’t seem to affect the parents much, and they only decided to look after their children’s futures by isolating the couple. There wasn’t even an intention to split them; the way things worked out is what happened. The kids would now have to adjust to their new lives. Their friendship remained strong after they separated even though they lived apart. Despite not spending as much time together, they could still find a way to make it work. Their bond did not seem to be susceptible to failure.
Despite their best efforts, it wasn’t easy to find the time. Eventually, they stopped playing on weekends and could not be seen by the year 2000. Although they were sad, they gradually grew accustomed to being apart. The two preschool sweethearts lost touch after spending fewer and fewer hours together. Their focus shifted from sports to other activities as they grew up. They began to lose their beautiful friendship as their schedules changed utterly.
Gradually, more time passed, and middle school was on the horizon. Grodsky had utterly lost touch with Scheel by that point in time. Slowly but surely, they began to lose touch as they focused on living their own lives. This wasn’t even intended; it just happened. Taking care of a young family can be challenging, so the couple barely had time to think about each other. Slowly, they grew accustomed to not seeing each other so often. There was one more way for them to stay in touch.
Over the next seven years, the pair only communicated through Christmas cards. At least they could keep track of each other’s progress. These were only enough to avoid forgetting about each other and were not enough to form a friendship. Grodsky and Scheel did not forget each other despite the distance between them. Rather than focusing on the past, they chose to focus on the present. Their families, friends, and work responsibilities kept them occupied, but they missed each other a lot. Christmas cards soon became a distant memory after they started middle school, and neither was eager to get them. Both of them were busy living their own lives and were not capable of thinking about anything else. Their effort stopped without them even realizing it. Grodsky and Scheel both moved on with their lives. Playdates on the weekends and movie nights were a thing of the past. They had no idea that fate would slowly intertwine them and bind them forever.
Making new friends gave them new opportunities to create new memories and spend time with people. The two childhood sweethearts were no longer in each other’s minds before they knew it. The two people no longer saw each other, but they never forgot about one another. They were now 100% focused on their own lives. The students went on to become high school freshmen not long after they started middle school. Scheel and Grodsky had to say goodbye to friends at new schools. However, neither would believe that one of Grodsky’s friends would end up there.
Sadly, the pair would attend different high schools and even farther from each other than their middle schools. Their paths didn’t cross again for a long time. As high school began, they made more new friends. Scheel noticed something incredible one day while she was browsing her friend’s phone. When she was going through her contact list, she came across Matt Grodsky’s name. For a moment, Scheel’s heart stopped as she couldn’t believe what she was seeing! It was amazing how small the world was. She asked her friend how she met Grodsky. Upon examination, Scheel’s friend attended the same middle school as Grodsky and had moved to Scheel’s. Afterwards, she told her friend about their romance in preschool. Scheel didn’t overthink the situation, but her friend got excited. It was apparent what she needed to do.
Despite Scheel’s concerns, Grodsky’s friend gave her phone number so they could reconnect. Scheel was both nervous and excited to meet her preschool sweetheart again as soon as they set a date to meet. The whole experience was surreal. They planned to meet at a movie theater. After arriving at the theater, it seemed like nothing had happened since the last time they were together. As soon as the two met, they were laughing and smiling together. They still had a strong bond even after so many years. Grodsky and Scheel began dating just two weeks after reconnecting! Despite being in different schools, they determined to make the partnership work.
Almost every weekend, the two would go on dates and even attend school dances together. They were once again inseparable. They faced another obstacle, however. They would soon be heading off to college, which would put their bond to the test. They had to think of a way around it. Scheel was enrolled at Northern Arizona University, while Grodsky was enrolled at Columbia College in Chicago. It’s hard for anyone to be in a long-distance relationship, and it was the same for these two. Each of them missed the other dearly. Despite their differences, Grodsky and Scheel remained optimistic that they would make it through their first year of college together. They aimed to minimize the time spent apart and to fully enjoy the experience of college. The two were destined to be together at this point. From the moment they met in preschool, they were destined to be together. Grodsky, however, was not going to let the outcome depend on the chance this time. He came up with an idea and began planning for it.
Grodsky wanted to make his sweetheart feel special in every way. He tried to choose between many ideas and went back and forth. He thought the preschool playground was the place most befitting to celebrate and symbolize their relationship. Grodsky hadn’t told Scheel about his different plans, so she noticed when he started acting strange. Grodsky had planned everything perfectly. At the preschool, he had his brother take a picture of the proposal with the same picnic basket his father had proposed to his mother. The stage was set, so all Grodsky had to do was get down on one knee. Scheel felt overwhelmed with emotion as they arrived at the place. After all, they were right back where they had started. Her first thought was that they were having a picnic, but then Grodsky got down on one knee and proposed to her.
I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, is this happening? I saw the ring and was like, ‘This is gorgeous. I’m so happy about it.’ I had no idea.
The couple planned their dream wedding over the next 18 months. As if it were a dream, the whole situation unfolded. Just as he’d promised to his preschool class two decades ago, Grodsky married her after two decades. After graduating from college and approaching their wedding, the two sweethearts suddenly realized they would spend the rest of their lives together. Their wedding day would finally arrive, and they would begin their life together!
Soon after she and Grodsky were married, Scheel wanted to tell the world their story. In searching for love stories and how the couples met, they came to the idea to share the story on an Instagram account, so they created an account named “The Way We Met”, where they decided to share their story as well
The heartwarming post received thousands of likes and comments. They never expected so many people to love their story, even though they knew how amazing it was!
Tyrese Gibson, the famous rapper and actor, heard about them and reached out to them. The star revealed that he is a “true sucker for love” and offered to take the couple to Miami for free. Gibson publicly thanked the couple for accepting the offer.
Scheel said:
We would love to have kids at some point. Right now, we are focused on our new puppy, Kirby, and our new house.
This beautiful story shows the power of love and gives us inspiration.
