We met at SDSU (go Aztecs!). Our friends knew each other, and we’d talk at parties, or birthdays, or random nights out in Pacific Beach. And somewhere in there is a story about a New Year’s Eve party hosted when Cindy was out of town, and she yelled at Ian for something his roommate had done, that we won’t get into.
It wasn’t until Ian left to take a job on the East Coast in Washington DC, and Cindy was about to leave San Diego to head back to San Jose, that the real story began. This is around the time we started to shape our post-college lives. The friends we’d stay in touch with; careers we’d enter into; cities we’d move to. And for us, as those things started to quickly change, we’d call each other to say hi or chat about what was going on. Our calls became weekly, and then daily. We texted, emailed, and chatted online. And while we’d been living single lives on opposite coasts, there was a real connection there and we both slowly found ourselves interested only in each other. Once Cindy moved to San Jose to be closer to her family, as a freelancer that meant she had the flexibility to travel. So one day, she asked him what he’d think if she came out to visit him in DC and see if there was a chance for a relationship there. He said yes, and she booked a flight. That arrival was our first date, and we’ve been together ever since.
The build-up to Ian's proposal is filled with a few comedic twists and turns. Ian bought her ring in December. Since he works remotely full-time, he had no issue making an appointment to pick it up in the afternoon a few weeks later. But the day of his appointment, Cindy decided to work from home. He had to think fast — she would know something was going on if he left in the middle of the afternoon when he’d normally be taking calls and working. So he got dressed and said he needed to go into the office “for a meeting.” He also realized he wouldn’t want her to see the bag from the jeweler when he got back. So he stopped at a Williams Sonoma that is by his real office and got a small gift. That Williams Sonoma bag allowed him to distract her with one of her favorite things (coffee) and hide everything. Fast forward to the week of Christmas. Cindy was sick with a cold and had to miss Christmas Eve with Ian's family in Sacramento. She also almost didn't go down for Christmas Day with her family in San Jose, but the extra sleep allowed her to recover enough to go. Ian drove down from Sacramento that afternoon, hid the ring in his jacket pocket while Cindy was in the shower, and they headed down to enjoy dinner and presents with the Lewis family. While everyone was opening gifts, Ian was waiting for the whole family to be in the room together for him to pop the question. Turns out that’s tough with young nephews and a new puppy around. But finally he got his chance, and he stood up to tell everyone that he wanted to give Cindy the rest of her Christmas present. And as he went on to say a few sweet words, she and her whole family were completely surprised! She was so taken aback that she forgot to answer him when he asked her, “Will you marry me?” There were a lot of happy tears, hugs, and cheering. And one of her nephews said, “This is a Christmas Miracle!” We agree, and it was the best Christmas ever.
Like a lot of couples engaged before or during the start of the pandemic, we changed our wedding plans a few times before cancelling our reception and putting our ceremony on hold. After waiting for two years, we're thrilled to be having a private ceremony with our immediate family and a small reception afterward. We look forward to celebrating our nuptials with everyone in the future!