Our story goes all the way back to Walnut High School, Class of 2014. We were in the same AP European History class—Ashley sat behind me. We only had one brief interaction back then: she mentioned she couldn’t see the board from behind me and asked if we could switch seats. We did, and that was it. It wasn’t until four years later that our paths crossed again. I was interning at Amazon, and Ashley was working at Rite Aid—both in Irvine. One day, I saw her at the Mitsuwa Marketplace food court. I recognized her from high school, said hi, and suggested we catch up. A few nights later, we met for Raising Cane’s in Laguna Niguel. What started as a casual meal turned into hours of easy conversation—something about it just felt right. Our first official date came with a promise: I told Ashley I’d take her on an adventure. I brought a treat for Bucky (her dog), picked her up, and we set out for Griffith Park. But after circling endlessly for parking, we changed plans. Dinner at Speranza in LA was the new destination. Afterward, we found a small plant shop and picked out three succulents together. We ended the night with churro ice cream. At the plant shop, the owner handed me a rose and asked me to give it to Ashley, along with a kind, heartfelt message. It was unexpected but oddly fitting. Years later, we returned to that same shop—and the owner remembered us. We told her that moment had become part of our story. She gave us another rose. Ashley still has both.

Our first international trip together was to Japan. While exploring the town of Nikko, we realized we’d missed the famous Shinkyō Bridge. In true spontaneous spirit, we hopped off the bus, ran to the bridge, and tried to catch the same bus a few stops later. It was chaotic, impulsive, and one of our favorite memories. Ashley says that’s when she knew I was the one—because I was just crazy enough to go along with it. On April 9, 2024, I proposed to Ashley in that same town. We celebrated our engagement at the Four Seasons in Otemachi, which is why we chose it as the place to begin our next chapter together. In July 2024, we bought our first home in Walnut, CA—the city where we both grew up. Now we live just a few miles from where it all started, building a life full of love, laughter, and plenty more adventures to come.