Isaiah 14:27

In 2017 we met at AMR. The first time we hung out we went to the shooting range with his friend Kyle. I drove to the range & called a friend with the typical, what is this? Are we friends? Is this a date? I got to the range, Kyle was not to be found; I had my answer😉. He says Kyle bailed; I will never know the truth. At any rate it was a fun unconventional date. A few months later we hung out, Allen was in the thick of clinicals commuting to Modesto while working full-time. Not wanting to add to his plate we celebrated when he was done. We grabbed a drink & spent a few hrs talking & laughing. After we went to his place where a fair amount of the family was, I was caught off guard but felt right at home. Following my trip to Europe we just wanted to hang out. BBQ’s, birthdays, hiking Mission Peak & Sunday night dinner. It was all so easy & seamless. We had to navigate 2 days off a month together; it was never a point of contention. It all just fit. Trips together, attending my sister’s wedding; he braved the whole family, & navigated our 1st holiday season. When I needed my tonsils out; Allen showed me his integrity. While studying for his Paramedic Exit exam & state license he took amazing care of me. We grew a lot in a short amount a time & I am forever grateful; I realized how lucky I was. We celebrated occasions, vacations, counselors at camp (where I fell more in love), babysat our new nephew, adventures & road trips. It was here we laid our foundation. In 2019 we moved in together. This was new territory but we are so incredibly thankful for the experience. We continued to learn a lot about each other & our funny quarks; talking to plants & golfing in the Livingroom. 2020 taught us few lessons & we learned how patience pays off. We took advantage & never missed an opportunity to travel, driving 2hrs to camp or flying for 55hrs to Thailand. It was in these little moments together that we created our home. I am grateful, I have found my person. -Shelly

A: The blueprints for the execution started to stir up in early June 2020. It was around this time I was in the thick of looking for engagement rings for Shelly (some inquiring with family and friends and a lot of snooping around on Pinterest.) I decided to go with a wacky themed proposal since I know we are both (ugly criers.) I took a cue from a comedian after we watched a few of her stand up specials on Netflix; Ali Wong. In her show she is known to be performing in a cheetah print dress while literally 8 months pregnant. In one of her specials she talks about how she met her husband; a man of Filipino/Japanese heritage and Harvard educated. Prior to them getting married she mentions the phrase “Trap his ass” because he is Harvard educated and if she “traps his ass” he will bring a lot of money to the family. The proposal was set for Labor Day weekend in El Dorado Forest disguised as a “camping trip” . I rallied up my siblings, closest friends and a few co-workers. I convinced my brother his fiancée GJ and Shelly to run to the store to grab some eggs (knowing damn well we had some packed away.) Upon their return I was nowhere to be found and Shelly didn’t know the shenanigans that would follow. Our friend Andrea hands Shelly a shirt that read “Trap his ass” with the Harvard logo on it. Our co-worker Brian to literally comes out of the woods dressed up as Ali Wong in a cheetah print dress with a fake baby bump. My cousin Gerard was holding up a banner that read “trap his ass?” It was at this point I come out of hiding to find Shelly with the most confused look on her face. The confusion turned to tears as I got down on one knee and asked her to take my hand in marriage. She then told me yes as we both ugly cried and popped a bottle of Dom open. 💍😭🍾