It was a typical spring Friday in Orange County. Justin had just wrapped up an uneventful workweek and was fully prepared to enjoy his final evening on the West Coast before heading back East for good… or so he thought. Chanelle, on the other hand, has little recollection of the events leading up to the grand meeting. It’s safe to assume the day consisted of homework and studying before heading to the Newport bars with her friends and sister, later than planned, as usual. Stag was packed to the gills. Justin, having arrived a few hours earlier, was a few tequila sodas deep and fully immersed in the mingling phase, bouncing between a bachelorette party, elderly surf locals, and an unassuming yet crucial figure named Mike. Some time later, Chanelle and her posse slowly made their way through the bar, quite possibly the most sober group within a ten-mile radius, only to cross paths with our friend Mike. Mike then turned back to Justin, who thought he’d seen the last of him, and announced, “Come meet my beautiful friends!” Only later did Justin realize the friends part was a bit of a stretch. Ushered toward his destiny, the North Carolinian was introduced to Chanelle with a formal handshake and a moment of extended eye contact. A flurry of thoughts, followed by some quick mental filtering led Justin to offer Chanelle a drink. A vodka soda felt like the safest choice, but Chanelle’s palate had other plans. Her face immediately expressed her distaste for the bland bubbly, and she handed it right back. And so, with an unnecessary double-fist by Justin and a hesitant yet curious Chanelle, their conversation officially began. A mutual love for warm weather, travel, sarcasm, and family was quickly uncovered, and over the next few hours, the connection only grew. With a few failed kickflip attempts on the Newport Pier, a phone call with Noah in the middle of laning phase, and an underage, very feisty Sophia intimidating Justin to ensure chivalry wasn’t dead, the sparks had met the kindling. After that first night, it took only a few hours of phone calls each day, two more trips to California for Justin, and a Vegas trip together for the two to make things official. Fast-forward two short summers later to a proposal in Hawaii—and here we are, headed to Mexico!