Love

She says, "He stepped through the classroom door with his confident stride and I fell for him instantly. No shame. Total Korean drama moment." He says, "She was the cute Asian girl that all my friends were crushing on. So I left her alone 'til they struck out, then I took her to prom."

Gary went to college at West Point in New York and Nina stayed in California for school in Riverside. Gary graduated and served as an Engineer for the Army until he transitioned out and moved back to California in 2016. Nina worked on her business degree, finished law school in San Francisco, and passed the CA Bar Exam. Gary and Nina might have dated other people during this time, but this period is known as "The Before Time" and we don't talk about it.

Gary moved to the Bay Area for work where Nina had been living since 2012. Gary commented on a Facebook picture of Nina at a Warriors game, "That's like right next to me!" Realizing that Gary was back in California and living in her backyard, Nina coordinated a dinner to catch up with Gary and some of their mutual friends. Wanting to avoid the dreaded "friend zone," Gary arranged for the mutual friends to be busy, safely transitioning dinner into a much more appropriate date.

After almost two years of dating, Gary took Nina on a walk around a lake in their neighborhood before their dinner date. They sat on a bench overlooking the water and chatted about how happy they were with their lives and how cute the passing dogs were. Gary nervously got down on one knee and asked Nina if she would spend forever with him, and the first thing Nina said was, "Are you sure?!?" Gary and Nina celebrated with dinner and drinks at their favorite restaurant and cuddled their kitties while toasting with some bubbly.

Gary and Nina are getting married in Morro Bay, CA, near where they grew up and first met, and can't wait to celebrate with their friends and family!