Thank you!

We were both fortunate enough to get a job at Cook Solutions Group where we eventually met at the Network Operations Center (NOC). It was casual at first, catching glances at each other and reacting to each other's teams messages. Overtime we started to talk, and before we know it we were talking all day. We went on our first date to eat Dim Sum, who I, Hector, had never had before, and the rest is history after that!

While at work we had an opportunity to participate in the SAM Day 5k run, a run in support of children's cancer research. It's a topic that is important to Janine, and we thought it would be a great way to help support. We didn't know what to expect, since neither of us had ever ran a 5K. We overprepared, I (Hector) had a backpack full of water bottles and food, thinking that the 5k (3 miles) was going to be a lot harder than it was (I was the only person with a backpack...). After that we decided to sign up for more 5Ks and even Hood to Coast. Now we run constantly, and many of the 5Ks have become tradition for us. We've reached heights we never thought we would (we don't do 5Ks anymore, only 10Ks!), and have developed goals that seemed impossible 3 years ago. This is one way that we have bonded and have been able to show support for each other's goals.

One of our favorite past times have been visiting various parks, gardens, and other locations where we can walk in the sun and enjoy each other's company. To this day we enjoy taking trips to new places, finding little parks and trails that we walk with ease. When proposing to Janine, I (Hector) decided to take her to one of our favorite garden venues, the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. A big garden next to Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Here is where we walked the garden, while I pretended that it was just another normal day. On a bench overlooking the lake, I got on one knee and proposed, asking Janine if she would marry me, to which she replied with an ecstatic Yes!