We met at a bible study that Doug's sister, Nina, attended. We were only acquaintances then. We got reconnected again 6 years later at Nina's wedding in the summer of 2022 in Hawaii. The crazy part is, I would not have attended Nina's wedding if she did not send an extended invitation to our bible study (thank you COVID!). In my head, I have always wanted to save Hawaii as "thee honeymoon spot" but I just thought "why not." When would I have another perfect opportunity to travel to Hawaii? Plus I get to witness a beautiful God-centered wedding! I went to Hawaii with my good friends Kathryn (heyy matron of honor) and Eric, and their kids. I planned the entire itinerary, plane tickets, hotel and rental car. We had dinner at Nina's place and that's where we reconnected. We caught up for a little bit but in my head, he was just a friend. The day of the wedding, we went star gazing out at a beautiful beach at Dillingham Airfield. Kathryn thought it was a good idea to invite Doug and so I facebook message'd him to join us. I honestly didn't think much of it, just that we were all hanging out at a nice beach watching the stars. We sat next to each other and it was the most nonchalant magical night. The day we left Hawaii came upon us and I was deeply saddened at the thought of leaving. We got ready to leave at Nina's place and Doug happened to be there again. He helped me pack up and as we said our goodbye's, I had a strange feeling we would stay connected. So then we tried long-distance getting-to-know-each-other through phone calls, texts, voice messages, and face-time. It was really difficult due to the 6 hour time difference! Then one sad night, Doug decided to put a pause on our getting-to-know-each-other because of various reasons (i.e., time difference, our schedules & commitments, etc.). I was sad but had a feeling this was not the end (or so I was hoping). During that time when we were on "hiatus," I passed my BCBA exam and Doug led a group of DTS (disciple-ship training school) students on a 6-month mission trip to Greece. We thought of each other during that time apart and I secretly prayed that God would somehow bring it back to VA if He wants us to be together. One day I get a missed phone call from Doug and my heart skipped a beat. Was he back in VA?! What was he doing here? I called him back but he did not answer. Later he texted me that his team came back to VA for a debrief. The crazy part was that he accidentally butt-dialed me as soon as his plane landed in VA. More months went by and I did not hear back from him. Doug's close friend, Frank, helped him draft an apology text for being MIA. I get an apology text from Doug one night and to meet up in person. We went to Marumen for ramen and then a coffee shop where he asked if we can continue our getting-to-know-each-other. I said yes. Months later, he asked me out and I said yes! The rest is history :)