Our Story
The Big Decision
2020
Do you remember what you were doing during the height of the pandemic? I don't remember much... except I can still vividly recall sitting around the house one weekend and all of a sudden getting a strong feeling that I must go back to school. From a career standpoint, it made sense, but for me, someone who hated studying and vowed to never go back to school again, it was unexpected. The day I took my GMAT was also a day to remember. As I was sitting in my home office, getting ready to take on this test, I could hear the rain hammering against the window as if it wanted to bust in and give me a piece of its mind. Lucky for me, the rain didn't get into the office; unlucky for my parents, the rain got into the rest of the house. Given the circumstances, I thought I definitely bombed the test, so I was absolutely thrilled when I received my score because it was better than all the mocks I did during my preparation for the exam. Back then, I thought I got lucky. Now, looking back, I know it was meant to be... Because the day I took that exam was: May 18th, 2020.
Davis vs Carlson: God’s Plan
2021
Minnesota or NorCal? This was the decision I had to make in 2021. Carlson had the better program; UC Davis made more sense financially. Going to Minnesota would broaden my experience and network; Going up to NorCal would make traveling with Kobe easier and allow me to readily care for my family. Minnesota is cold AF during the winter; Davis is hot AF during the summer. At one point, I just wanted to flip a coin and call it a day. How did I end up making a decision? Shoutout to my parents for reminding me to place my faith in God and prayed with me throughout that period of time. After a few weeks of prayers, I had an unwavering feeling of which school I needed to pick, and this would allow something important to happen in my life. (Sorry, it’s extremely hard to describe what I was feeling at the time. Just know that I knew exactly which school to pick with full confidence.) So, I made my decision: UC Davis.
Cold... Warmer... Hot!
2022
For those who didn’t know and still have not figured it out by now, we met at UC Davis. In the fall of 2022, I started my second year of the MBA program, and she started her first. My first impression of her was ‘she will be tough to get along’ and ‘she seems cold’. (Apparently, her first impression of me was ‘he must be an ABC’…) Over time, these impressions of mine started to fade and change as I got to know her more. Contrary to what I believed, she was the easiest person to talk to and one of the warmest humans I have ever met. The more I learned about who she is as a person - her interests, her values, and her goals - the more I realized that we are two peas in a pod. Before I knew it, we were chatting every single day, and eventually… We started dating.
0 to 60, Accelerate!
2023
Two days into 2023, we officially became a couple, and from then on, our love grew exponentially. We became the couple we both hated before meeting each other - doing everything together, telling each other every single detail from our day, and just overall being super affectionate and clingy. Day after day, month after month, time flew by, and before we knew it, 2023 was over. 2023 was filled with memories and experiences: spending our first Chinese New Year together with Kobe eating dumplings, going on our first trip together during Valentine's Day and devouring oysters by the ocean, going on our first diet together after overindulging in food and snacks over the school year, capping the year off watching Christmas lights in Cambria, and many more! We laughed, we cried, we cheered, we sweated (ignore my pitiful attempt at rhyming). Most importantly, this year made us certain that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. So, the next step: Getting ready for forever.
‘Love You Infinity’
2024
Ever since we started talking about spending the rest of our lives together, an invisible clock started to tick. I knew I wanted to do something special, something unique for her. I wanted to give her an experience that she can remember for the rest of her life, and I knew just what I needed to do. You see, in 2023, we visited one of her favorite art museums in LA, the Broad. She was excited to see an exhibit called “The Infinity Mirror Room”. However, when we got to the gallery, we were turned away because the tickets we had were for the wrong date. So, an opportunity presented itself. I thought “The Infinity Mirror Room” would be a perfect place to propose given the vibe (please go check out some pictures online if you have not been there) and the privacy since they only allow one group in the room at a time. Once I made the decision, I began to plan the perfect proposal: designing the perfect ring, booking an experienced photographer to capture that perfect moment, coming up with an elaborate lie with the help of our friends (S/O to Daniel and Stella for making this possible) to get her to the Broad wearing a white dress without suspicion… And on May 5th, 2024 without TOO many hiccups along the way, I got down on one knee and asked: Will you marry me?
A Special Date
2025
The date, May 18th, is truly special to us. Sometimes, when something aligns perfectly in your life, you might think that it’s just a coincidence. However, if everything aligns, then you must believe it is meant to be. Let me break this down for you: - Both of our parents’ anniversaries were in May. Pretty normal right? Except, my parents got married on the 8th, and her parents got married on the 28th. - When we decided that we wanted to go with this venue, we knew we wanted the wedding to happen in May due to the weather. When we reached out to the venue, the only date left for us to pick in May that worked for us was May 18th. - As mentioned at the beginning of this blog, it turned out that I took my GMAT exam on May 18th, marking the beginning of my MBA journey which led to this story I am currently telling. There are actually many more “coincidences” revolving this date, but I’m running out of space to write down them all. If you want to know more about this or our story in more detail, please feel free to come ask us during the wedding! Lastly, I just want to end this blog by saying: Ariel, I love you to infinity, and I thank God for bringing you into my life! And finally, from both of us: we are extremely excited for y’all to come celebrate with us on: May 18th, 2025!