What’s this on your hand? It all started on a small patio at a restaurant in Long Beach, CA called The Peppercorner, where Megan worked as a server and kept her customers happy by serving them her infamous “Megan Mimosa” (Champagne with a splash of orange juice). One Sunday morning, Alex ordered his customary Megan mimosa and as Megan leaned in to drop off the beverage, they both spotted some gooey liquid on her hand (it was later confirmed to be chocolate syrup). The next few seconds seemed to play out in slow motion: Megan screamed in her head when she realized it was too late to pull back her hand, and to make matters worse, Alex c̶r̶e̶e̶p̶i̶l̶y̶ curiously dabbed the syrup with his finger and asked, "What's this on your hand?" Megan was mortified! But a few moments later, Alex playfully bantered with her, and the syrup incident was quickly forgotten. At this point Alex was unsure whether to ask Megan for her number, since he had gone on a terrifying date a few weeks prior (thanks for the heads-up, Gustavo 😒). But Alex was very fond of Megan's cheerful personality and her stunning beauty, and so after some encouraging words from his college buddy (Mike Placencia), Alex tried an unusual approach to get her number. He asked for her number to pass on to a "friend" of his whom she would find funny, charming, and good-looking. They shared a good laugh and after some time Megan returned with her number on a piece of receipt paper to give to Alex's "friend" 😉. And as the cliché goes, the rest is history!

Will you be my buddy, forever? A journey to the Yucatán Peninsula was filled with memorable adventures, as we explored the ancient Mayan ruins of Tulum, dove into the depths of beautiful cenotes, and wandered aimlessly along the various breathtaking beaches in the region. After spending some time admiring Lake Bacalar’s seven shades of blue, we headed east to the equally impressive waters of Mahahual Beach, in the state of Quintana Roo. After a day of eating botanas (Mexican snacks) and drinking margaritas under a white canopy on the beach, we made our way into the turquoise water for one last swim. As we embraced in the ocean, Alex sank into the water and brought his hand up fiercely clenching onto an engagement ring and asked Megan, “will you be my buddy, forever?", which between us was a running reference to the 1980s My Buddy doll commercial with part of its jingle saying, “My Buddy, My Buddy, Wherever I go, [s]he goes....My Buddy and me, we’re the best friends that could be.” As luck would have it, Megan said, “Yes!”