I was on the BiggerPockets podcast and intentionally mentioned that I was single. Mind you, the podcast is broadcasted to millions of people so I figured my princess was out there somewhere. Sure enough, just 2 weeks after being on the podcast, I get a message from Grace who was looking to get into real estate investing. Originally, she wanted to go out of state, but saw me investing in Denver and said... if he could do it. Why can't I? So she requested I be her Realtor. We started looking at houses together and as we drove from house to house our conversation was really good. But it wasn't about real estate. It was about our favorite types of music, nutrition, health, and okay, maybe a little bit of real estate and financial independence was sprinkled in. After seeing 6-7 houses together we found one that she liked. We put in an offer and BOOM. We got it! The inspection came back crystal clear, but Grace was afraid of a small crack inside the garage. So she decided to terminate the contract. In other words, she didn't want to stop doing these house tours with me. So. Round 2! We see another 6-7 houses. This time we go under contract again! However, the city that we were under contract in would not allow her to do what she wanted to do. So we backed out again. She just couldn't get enough of me. Next.... round 3! We finally go under contract and this house is a total fixer upper. We got to the closing table and finally closed. However, we were both still wanting to hang out so I would go over there to help with the house and then hang out afterward. Not long after, I invited her to come to Mexico with me and a few friends. It was the worst trip ever. We hated each other. But by the time we came back, COVID was in full rage, and we were the only people we could hang out with. So we decided that we would keep hanging out until COVID ended. Fast forward 2 years and it doesn't look like COVID isn't going anywhere and neither are we.

When I began looking for my first out-of-state investment property, Craig was featured as a guest on the BiggerPockets podcast. I hadn’t entertained the thought of house hacking but decided, “if this weirdo can do it, so can I”. After listening to that episode, I reached out to Craig on BiggerPockets. We had our initial call, and TBH I wasn’t impressed over that initial call. It came down to using him or another Realtor I had met when I first moved to Denver. However, a little voice told me to use him because he was a more experienced househacker. Throughout our search, Craig drove us around in his old, duct-taped, orange car. The thing smelled like rotten socks & stale nuts, but the smell became so faint as we got lost in conversation about everything except for real estate. As time passed, our friendship grew and so did Craig’s nerves for sending flirtatious text messages. He began calling me “g-wang” and hinting that we needed to go on a coffee date when I closed on the property. Of course he couldn’t wait another month, so when I was under contract and needed to turn in my earnest money, Craig snagged the opportunity to asked me to dinner. His excuse was that he could help drop off the check. It wasn’t until later that night when chatting with one of my best friends that she made me realize Craig actually wasn’t taking me to dinner for friendship, but likely something more. Oh, I have to add - during that Christmas holiday, Craig told his sister about me because he couldn't keep me off his mind ;). After closing, he invited me to Mexico (worst trip ever), but something in both of us told us to continue hanging out. Then, COVID hit. We decided we would continue “talking” until the pandemic was over because there STILL was no romantic spark. As the months passed, our relationship grew tenfold. I eventually realized this was the relationship I had been praying for my entire life. So, thank you BiggerPockets for having a platform to put this random guy on!!

May 2021 – We were in Hawaii escaping the last 2 winter months: In a long, late-night conversation, Grace asked me about when we were getting married and if I was ready. My thoughts were saying…yes I am ready. My voice was saying…no because all along I knew I wanted to surprise her. Later that week, I found a ring through my friend. His family owns a jewelry store in St. Thomas. June 2021 - We were in Chicago visiting Grace’s family: While walking the Magnificent Mile her dad & I walked ahead and I asked for his blessing. The next day I talked to her mom and she also said yes with TONS of enthusiasm. Now it was time to execute the plan. We have a friend with a beautiful house in Breckenridge, CO so I called and asked if we could borrow it for a weekend in late October – exactly 2 years after we met. She said yes! Aug 2021 - While the place is beautiful, I always believe it’s the people that truly make a difference. So, one morning before Grace woke up, I snuck into her phone and contacted her closest friends and invited them all to the proposal event. Most said yes. Others Zoomed in. Aug-Oct 2021: All of the people closest to Grace had to withhold this secret. Everyone did a great job. Next, for our two-year anniversary, I was hyping up a date day –a day where we would do “our relationship in a day.” We would go to the first place we met (the first showing we went to), the first place we ate, our first ice cream place, our first hike, and we would end it with a nice weekend in Breck. We had our day. On the way to Breck, I got quiet and my hands were sweaty. She was starting to catch on that I had something up my sleeve. Before we got to the house, I got out of the car and blindfolded her. I escorted her into the house and we danced to “our” song. Still blindfolded, I invited her out to the balcony overlooking the lake and the mountains where I popped the question. We went back inside and all of her closest friends and family were there to surprise her.

I knew early on that Craig was the one I'd marry, but I remained in denial for months because I wasn’t sure I wanted to commit. As each month passed, my thoughts became clearer & more solidified that I wanted to build a life with him. Then while we were in in Hawaii late-spring 2021, when we had been officially together for just under a year, I asked Craig if he was ready for marriage. Just testing the waters…ya know? He said he eventually would be. About 1-2 months later, I made a Pinterest board with all of my favorite engagement rings and added Craig as a collaborator. Every so often, I would tell him I updated the board and that if he ever needed it, he could just refer to it. Ever since that serious conversation in Hawaii we would talk about marriage every so often. Craig told me he still wanted to wait for another year, wanted to meet my relatives in China, and that he wanted to get my parents’ blessings. I thought these responses were fair enough, so I let it be. For the two year anniversary of us meeting, Craig planned a day of dates to commemorate our “firsts” – first place we met, ate dinner, had ice cream, & hiked. The thought was to round out that day by ending it at our friend’s beautiful mountain house in Breckenridge. This day went perfectly, although towards the end of our activities, Craig began to act suspicious. He blindfolded me and his hands got clammy. Still, I didn’t begin to think that he was going to propose – at least I didn’t want to even suggest the idea because he convinced me it wasn’t going to happen for another year. When we got to the Breck house, I heard our song playing. As Craig started to slow dance with me, that’s when I knew. He brought me out to the deck overlooking the majestic mountains and asked me to begin that next chapter of life with him. I bawled. Soon after we put the ring on we went inside and I saw my parents and some of my closest friends surprised me as they walked up from the basement one-by-one.