First of all, I just have to mention, that Richard and I have known each other for over 16 years! We both attended Palo Alto College, where we made a lot of really great friends fall semester 2007, most of whom Richard already knew, and I was adopted into the group. During our class breaks, our crew would meet up in that bright yellow cafeteria and share school schedules, work schedules, lunches, but most importantly, our love for music. Richard was one of those people in "The Crew", who I could just listen to for hours, as he spoke so passionately about music and his favorite bands. To try and impress my new friends and Richard, I brought up the topic of me singing for a band called Kevin Goes 2 College, who had a few CDs out and had a couple of upcoming shows. My plan worked! I got my friends to come out to the gigs, and "The Crew" remained very supportive up until my band stopped playing. I would reminisce about how exciting it was being on stage, and after speaking briefly to Richard about starting one ourselves where he would play bass and I would sing, we would then turn that discussion into a band called Bite Lip Bleed. We put out a demo, made our own merch and played some amazing shows together, but as we continued to get older, responsibilities continued to pile on, there is a point in time where life calls you in different directions, but Richard and I remained friends. Little did we know that years down the road, Richard's New Year's text would turn into us dating and our friendship into love. On February 29th, 2020, Leap Year, we became boyfriend and girlfriend, survived a pandemic, not seeing much of each other that first year, but held on strong and were engaged a year later. Come October 28, 2023 our families and friends will witness us become Husband and Wife. After 16 years, our friendship stood the test of time, love has been patient and kind, and God sure has been good to us. I think Richard said it best "that as much as things change, hopes and dreams stay the same, and with music still steady running through our veins as much today as it did so many years ago when we first met", we are beyond excited that we get to call our dreams reality.