It all started with a DM in Instagram. Jonah felt the need to have a conversation with a friend who'd he never met, and admired from afar, Brandon. He mustered up the courage to say to another male friend that he needed to confine in. He reached out to Brandon with a reply that started off this whole saga - "hey man", and as corny as it seemed, Brandon entertained the message at the time, and the two of them became good friends online. However, Jonah & Brandon "clicked" in a way that could only be achieved by getting to know a person over a course of time. Brandon and Jonah were both in their own separate relationships at the time, but it never seemed like their current partners were vested into each other, but to Jonah something felt right with Brandon, and to Brandon, something felt right about Jonah. They both shared genuine feelings about each other and eventually with the right timing of things, they shared their first date together over hot-pot. It wasn't until one faithful day on March 20th 2016, Jonah and Brandon were on the freeway and Jonah's car broke down on the side of the freeway, all he could think about was how he could not afford to fix this, and while balancing a bunch of responsibilities and having no transport, Jonah - for a lack of better words, broke down. Brandon was quick to respond to his feelings with openness. And, it was the first time Jonah felt comforted and safe. Jonah felt that his romantic partner gave him peace, genuine concern, and care. Brandon always took on the responsibility of being the nurturing one. Not the most romantic setting...But the point is, they knew love for each other even in the most undesirable of situations, and in that shoulder lane of the H1 going eastbound near the Waimalu exit, their future together was made certain.

Everyone asks for a proposal story, but an A-typical answer to that is... there is no proposal story! We knew we were set to be together, and yes, it was always a "gut feeling". Brandon waited patiently for Jonah to finish school, he also had goals to buy a house. 7-years later, they knew it was time, and in the summer of 2023, they made their announcement. Looking to both sides of the family for permission first, and quietly putting out SAVE THE DATE cards after, here we are today!