Joan and Mike met for the first time at a fall retreat hosted by their young adult group at St. Monica's Church. After the retreat they sat next to each other and talked at Bodega Wine Bar. They began to realize they shared similar senses of humor, loves for singing, and appreciations for thought-provoking conversation. Realizing her attraction to Mike, Joan invited Mike to participate in her community choir. Mike accepted, and after a few more weeks of talking and getting to know each other, Mike asked Joan on a dinner date...as they say, the rest is history!

After months of waiting for the ring to arrive, Mike asked Joan to go hiking with him, under the pretense of needing to "stretch his legs" the day after his Spartan 5K race. While Joan was lukewarm about hiking that day, Mike repeatedly saying, "I think you'll like this hike" eventually persuaded her, and off they went. Mike drove them to Los Leones Trail in Topanga, the first trail they'd hiked together. During this time Joan noticed that Mike was acting slightly odd, but she kept her suspicions to herself. Once they reached the peak of the mountain, Mike got down on one knee, proposed to Joan, and they lovingly embraced.