It all started at CVS pharmacy on 6/23/17. I was in line to pick up a prescription when I got an email from the disability center at the University of Arizona saying that there was a student looking for research volunteers that had learning disabilities. I thought "well, that's me" and replied that I would be happy to help within minutes of receipt. The person on the other end of the email was Brandon, who was amazed that anyone had replied that quickly. On 6/26, Brandon caught his first glimpse of me through a window. He distinctly remembers telling himself "Woah, she's beautiful- no way that's the person I'm interviewing." Then I walked up to him and shook his hand. For the next twenty minutes, Brandon asked questions and I answered them, often engaging in tangents and laughing. Brandon recalls that it was tough for him to remember to actually write down what I was saying because he couldn't keep his eyes off of me. Something about Brandon was making the wheels turn in my brain, too. Many of you reading this likely know that yours truly is rather good at picking out identifying characteristics from peoples' faces due to my anthropology training. I looked at the endearingly dorky young man sitting across from me and was willing to bet that I knew where he was from. It was just a matter of slipping it into the conversation. “By the way, weird question. Are you Peruvian… by any chance?” The look on Brandon’s face went from confusion to shock to awe and he managed to mutter “Yeah, I am, how did you-” before he paused, thought for a second, and smirked before saying “That’s right, I am Peruvian. Half Peruvian. What’s my other half?” I squinted, mulled it over, and uttered one word. “Colombian.” The poor boy literally slid out of his chair, and I reveled in my victory. As we were saying goodbye, I plucked Brandon’s phone out of his hands, plugged my number into it (because he wasn't going to ask!), and told him that he was going to text me. Fortunately, he did.

Fast forward roughly 4 years later, and I was in the car with my soon-to-be fiancée. With a ring in my pocket, we were on our way to Balboa Park where I had scheduled ahead of time an engagement photoshoot (unbeknownst to N). All of the sudden, my plans went out the window when a car crashed into our rear, jolting us both forward. I was both in shock and enraged, which was unlike me considering my usual calm demeanor. It then hit me; I was experiencing these feelings because the person with whom I was involved in an accident is who I want to (officially) spend the rest of my life with. It’s something which I’ve been ready for a while, but now that it was THE day. Thankfully, the crash inflicted relatively minor damage, besides causing an annoying racket from a now-loose trunk (which of course only contributed to my anxiety). After exchanging insurance info within the other driver, we were able to continue on our drive to Balboa Park without much delay. Once we arrived, we explored the various museums in the area, like the Automotive Museum and the Museum of Us. Our last stop was San Diego Air and Space Museum, but this was on purpose. You see, I had timed our arrival at the Air and Space Museum with the arrival of my engagement photographer. Because my fiancée is a self-proclaimed “AV Geek,” she stopped to gawk at the YF2Y-1 Sea Dart directly in front of the building. While she was distracted, I took the opportunity to signal to my photographer to approach. By the time N looked back toward me, I was already on one knee, and the rest is history.