I had just started my junior year at UNR & a new job at a local restaurant as the new hostess. Alex was a seasoned waiter & had worked there for at least 3 years already. It was my first night & I was very nervous, I remember Alex introducing himself that evening, but being a typical jam-packed Friday at the popular restaurant I had no time to exchange more than a few words. A few days passed by & one evening after work Alex asked me to go on a date with him, I politely declined. I was very apprehensive of mixing work & social life. More time went on being just co-workers, yet it seemed as Alex would find any excuse to be at the hostess station & I would find any excuse to be in the kitchen near him. One night I called into work, saying I got a flat tire. (Which was a fib...I decided to try to play hooky). I got out of work, but later that night I got a text from an unknown number, it was Alex. He had stolen my number from the work caller-id to check in on me. I felt like such a turd, my lie escalated & now Alex seemed worried. Now Alex had my number & it seemed like there wasn’t a day that went by that we would not chat, even if we knew we would see each other later that evening at work. We would occasionally pass by each other on campus, grab coffee, or even study in the library. As time went on, we became very good friends. We would play pool, gamble and even go get food late at night at the janky 24 hours restaurants after work. Time continued & I finally realized I made a huge mistake turning him down on the initial date. I asked him to try the previously proposed date now, but it was his turn to turn me down. More time went on & more flirting, texting, and “randomly” running into him at school would occur until finally he gave me another chance to take him up on his offer from many months before. I was ecstatic, we went on our very first date to PF Changs, it was perfect & it has been true love ever since.

I was headed in for just another typical night of waiting tables at work. As I entered the back door, my friend & roommate at the time greeted me, eager to tell me there was a new “very good looking” hostess working that night. So I decided to go see for myself & headed to the front of the house to introduce myself. Looks aside you could see that her personality & work ethic was more than desirable. Throughout the first week, I watched multiple failed attempts of guys asking her out, and thought to myself…challenge accepted. With all of my confidence & good looks, I approached her at the hostess station & abruptly asked her on a date. And to everyone’s amazement, she said “no.” Being the creeper that I am, that answer was simply not good enough. Throughout the following weeks I befriended her on social media, made sure to spontaneously “run into her on campus,” & made many excuses to talk to the hostess at work. With my foot in the door & things going well I decided it was time to make my next move. Unfortunately the day I planned to ask her out again, she happened to call into work. Me, being the great co-worker that I am, felt the need to check in on my favorite hostess. Using the caller-id on the restaurant phone, I felt obliged to see how her car troubles were going. From that point on, she would not stop texting me & I knew my true plan had worked. Over the next several weeks, we grew closer & closer and became great friends, but I knew there were still a few minor adjustments that needed to be made to my plan. Hockey playoffs hit and this year my playoff beard came in very strong & all of a sudden she was very interested. Though I desperately wanted to say yes, I knew that women only truly want what they can’t have, and felt it was my turn to turn her down. After messing & teasing with her for a week or so I felt it was time to end her suffering and gave her a chance. We enjoyed our very first date at PF Changs & the rest is history.

Plans were made to conquer yet another escape room in Reno on the evening of June 22nd 2017. Escape rooms had become one of the family's favorite pastimes. Having done them city to city, another night solving puzzles was nothing out of the ordinary. Upon entering the final code to reveal the last missing piece, Rachel opened the final safe to find a key and a small box. She opened the small box and thinking it was just another clue to the mystery, she shouted, "A RING." Turning around and seeing Alex down on one knee, she finally realized that this ring was much more than a prop. The engagement was so special, to Rachel's surprise, her Mom and Sister were awaiting the escape outside the closed doors along with the entire York family. The engagement was like no other, planned to perfection, incorporating a wonderful hobby that we all enjoy together.