“How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You”

I used to wish that Alec and I had a romantic story about how we met. You know - like a scene straight out of The Holiday (my favorite movie). However, looking back, how we met could not have been more “us”. It was the middle of February 2021 when we met. I spent the weekend in San Diego and on my drive home, Alec offered to call to keep me company. I told him about my weekend, helped him pick what he wanted for dinner, and he went outside so that we could watch and talk about the sunset together. As I was nearing home around 8:30, I started to think about what I needed to do to prep for the work week ahead - laundry, meal prep, etc. However, as I was getting off the freeway, Alec asked “What are you doing tonight?”. I quickly ran through my to-do list in my head (Typical Ang) and thought about how it was getting close to my bed time, but I of course replied, “Oh nothing!”, secretly hoping that he might want to hang out. Little did I know that my “Oh nothing!” response would change our lives FOREVER. He picked me up around 9 pm in his big white truck to get a milkshake. As I was walking down my stairs in my ugg slippers and sweatpants, I took a deep breath and said a little prayer, “God please make him a good one”. I was met with the biggest smile and the most awkward first hug. We walked to his truck, he opened my door, I climbed on in, and we headed to Bakers to get Oreo cookie milkshakes. After some time of aimlessly driving throughout Redlands, we headed back to my house and before we knew it, we had spent the next 8 hours in my driveway talking about everything. It was easy. Effortless. Over the next few weeks and months, we quickly became each other’s go to person. The next 3.5 years carried on much the same way. Alec and I seamlessly melted into each other’s day to day lives and families. Our goals and dreams aligned and came together in the most beautiful ways. We raised our dog, Oakley, together, traveled near and far, spent many nights under the stars checking off bucket list concerts, prioritized community and friendships, celebrated career achievements, bought our first home, and have supported each other through life’s highest of highs and lowest of lows. I thank God every night that I said “Yes” to an Oreo cookie milkshake.