We're getting married!

In September 2023, Holly began a new chapter. She left behind the familiar and moved to Seattle for graduate school—hopeful, determined, yet unsure of what lay ahead. Across the city lived Takumi, a gifted young engineer working long hours, his life steady but uninspired. He often wondered if Seattle was truly meant to be his home. By January 2024, both had made choices that would tie them more firmly to the city. Holly, enchanted by Seattle’s greenery and invested in the new friendships she created, decided she would stay for the long term. Takumi, reunited with his old college friend Eli, moved into a new place, rekindling memories of their days at the house on Willson. Each, feeling the stirrings of possibility, signed up for Hinge, the dating app friends swore by. One day, Holly paused on a profile—his mustache, his playful smirk, his easy charm. Something about it made her curious enough to reach out. Takumi, noticing her interest, replied with a spark of humor that caught her attention. And just like that, a conversation began, simple at first but quickly unfolding into something more. A week later, on February 3, 2024, they met at Retreat, a cozy café by Green Lake. They talked for hours, laughed easily, and discovered uncanny similarities—including the fact that they’d arrived in matching outfits. From that day on, the third of each month became theirs—a ritual marked with coffee, tuna melts, and the quiet joy of returning to where it began. Seasons turned, and by July 2025, Takumi was ready to take their story further. On the eighteenth, he set his plan into motion. He told Holly they would celebrate her birthday a few days early with a picnic at Discovery Park (Disco), one of their favorite places. With large grassy fields, the Olympics in the background, and overlooking the Puget Sound, there was no better place to "celebrate". When they arrived, Holly was hungry. Takumi expressed that he wanted to take her to a different spot than usual, a field closer to the water. She questioned it and slightly protested it, but reluctantly followed. While they walked through a particular field, Takumi asked her to set her stuff down so that he could take a video of her for his brand, Ranchsoul. Though puzzled, Holly agreed, setting her things down and stepping forward. After taking a couple of steps, and when no direction came, she turned back. And there he was—Takumi walking toward her, a small brown box in his hand, his eyes carrying the weight of everything he was about to ask. And in that quiet moment, under the vast sky at Disco, Holly said yes.