Emily: My first memory of Michael was hearing him belt Les Mis songs in the basement of our freshman dorm at some absurd hour of the night; I definitely thought he was nerdy and weird. He also decided he was too cool to show up for the first meeting of our sibfam (a program at Stanford that matches Asian American frosh with upperclassmen), so probably not the best first impression. Michael: Honestly, I didn’t have a super strong impression of Emily during our freshman year, but we apparently enjoyed each others’ company enough to look for a church together as sophomores. Emily: We started hanging out a lot during fall quarter sophomore year, living in the same dorm and often staying up very late doing homework (boo, CS107). Then, for my birthday, Michael wrote me a very kind card and said he was going to take me out to dinner. Very suspicious. Michael: Nope, wasn’t a date. I thought by this time that Emily was really cool, and wanted to get to know her better. I can’t say I wasn’t in any way interested, but it was an honest attempt to grow a deeper friendship. Don’t listen to what she says. Emily: Oh, come on. That was definitely a date. Sure enough, a couple weeks later, Michael told me he liked me in a 10+ minute monologue. Michael: Okay, I have an issue with monologuing, but I wanted to make sure that we were wise and intentional from the beginning. But yeah, it was an interesting start.

The rest of college was a fairly sleepless, frenzied time of intense learning about ourselves and each other, and trying to figure out how we fit into the world around us. We were both computer science majors, which resulted in some more shared all-nighters (rip CS144), and we also threw ourselves into various extracurricular pursuits (Testimony A Cappella for Emily, Stanford Collaborative Orchestra for Michael) as well as Christian community through Intervarsity. College was also when we started developing our shared love of the outdoors, as we would regularly escape campus and the pressure of all our academic responsibilities by going on hikes or to the beach on weekends. We even completed a punch card at Perfect Pour Cafe in Pacifica from all the times we went to the beach (in an attempt) to study.

After graduation in 2018, Michael moved to Connecticut to teach while Emily stayed at Stanford to finish her master’s degree, kicking off a period of long-distance that continued in various forms until spring 2021. The first year apart was especially tough, and tested us in ways that we had never experienced before. We were forced to grow independently, be healthier individually and in our relationships with those around us, and entrust each other and ourselves to God. It was through this season of ups and downs that we began to understand more deeply what marriage means, and how to build a relationship that reflects God’s love and grace through all circumstances.

Emily: I was suspicious during our trip back to California at the end of June 2021, because it was right at the end of the timeline of engagement that we had talked about. We came to the end of the trip, and the only possible day remaining was July 4th, but we had planned a beach barbecue with Amy and Raymond. I was a little skeptical, but then the plans were so well made (Amy sent us a photo of all the corn she was going to bring, Michael brought a portable stove when I picked him up that day) that it really seemed like we were going to just have a barbecue. But then, we got to the beach a little early and Michael suggested that we go down first. He pretended to not know how to get down to the beach – and insisted on taking the hard way down instead of the much easier way I was showing him. That’s when I definitely knew something was up. Michael: Planning the proposal was a blast, but there were a few panicked moments along the way. I almost dropped the ring into the East River in NYC while trying to take a photo of it. Then on the day of the proposal, I had removed myself from the planning chat ahead of time, so when we got to the beach and everyone was hiding so well, part of me wondered if everyone had forgotten. But our lovely friends and family came through beautifully, and I couldn’t be more thankful for how smoothly it ended up going! ... Michael: But it’s not over! Once we got back to NYC, Emily took me on a full-day scavenger hunt around the city, which culminated in a counter-proposal featuring custom M&Ms with a ring printed on them (because Em&M...get it?). But speaking of NYC...

Michael moved out to New York at the start of 2021, and Emily returned to the city in May, marking (hopefully) the end of long distance for us. Despite the ongoing pandemic, this final period of long distance saw us build much healthier rhythms both individually and together, and learn to communicate and grow in new ways even while apart. The last couple of years have brought uncertainty to so many areas of life, but we have been wonderfully blessed by our time here so far. We’ve seen God bring us deeper into relationship with Him and each other in so many ways, particularly through the people and communities we’ve found in the city. We’re currently planning to stay out here in New York City for the near future, so come through and say hello, whether you live here or are just dropping by!