Giana Gallardo & Beau’s Love Story

 I like many others, am a sucker for romance. I enjoy reading novels and watching movies where love conquers all and the destined couple ends up together despite obstacles. Though such ideas always captivated me, I was also skeptical about whether such love existed in the real world. And if it did, would I be lucky enough to find it?
From an early age I had the notion that there was one special person meant only for me. But again, it was hard to reconcile this thought with the society I lived in. A society that was full of broken relationships and fleeting encounters.
I grew up in Brownsville, but went to college in Pella, Iowa, and lived there for seven years. When I decided to return home in order to give back to the community, I had to make a conscious decision that meeting someone and starting a family was not at the top of my list. I had not had much luck with “locals” in the past and was certain that nothing had changed during my time away. This could not have been further from the truth.
After living here for a year I was looking for a sense of community. Through a local church I got connected with a small group and met many quality people. One of those persons was Beau Hesterberg. I knew leaving the gathering that evening that he was my future husband. It is not something I can fully explain, except that I had a strong, peaceful feeling about it. Beau and I became friends and hung out for about 6 months. This whole time I never said anything nor did I hint about the curiosity he had sparked within me.
One evening we went to a country concert with a group of friends. I noticed there was something different in the way Beau looked at me and spoke to me. He chose to gravitate around me most of the evening, enjoying the sights and sounds. I called him five minutes after he dropped me off at home and told him I needed to speak with him. I simply asked him if he had more than friendly intentions towards me and he admitted that he wanted to get to know me better. He called me the following day and we prayed together, trying to feel out exactly where we were headed. That was November 24th.
On December 6, Beau asked me into courtship over coffee. We were serious from the beginning and discussed that we would move ahead with the intention of eventually getting married unless we felt otherwise. He had plans to live in Israel for three months starting at the end of February. Needless to say we became closely acquainted quickly and made the most of the time we thought he had left.
On Valentine’s Day Beau showed up in my classroom dressed as Spider-Man with a bouquet of flowers (I was teaching Saturday Academy). I had often joked that my boyfriend was Spider-Man when my fifth graders asked me about my personal life. Later that evening he took me to eat at Tre-Fratelli’s and then to dance at Dean Porter Park. He made a mix of love songs and talked about how much he would miss me when he left for Israel. He then started making his way towards the ground on one knee saying, “I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that I love you and I want you to be a part of it. Will you marry me?” I said yes!
Beau has shown me how good love is. Real love. Not the stuff movies are made of, but a lasting romance. We know that we are meant to be together, and that we are better together than alone.
It is my hope that our story inspires other young men and women that yearn for that companionship. My belief in love and destiny has been restored. 
We would love nothing more than the honor of having RGV Photography at our wedding. We want quality photographers, along with our 300 guests, to capture our first official kiss on the lips as husband and wife.

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