The setting is Tchin Tchin! Bar in Chinatown where Zach had linked up with a few friends for a pau hana drink. The guys were just talking story, when Zach was suddenly overwhelmed by his “Spidey Sense." Sure enough, seconds later, a beautiful, brown-eyed lady (barely 5’2”) entered the room. Zach's eyes locked onto Kira like crosshairs in a turkey shoot. Kira knew Zach's friends so she took her seat in the guys' sewing circle on the ottoman right next to Zach. What luck! After tripping on his own words, Zach finally greeted Kira, to which she said, “Hi! I’m Kira.” The room spun into a vortex and Zach's heart started beating furiously; he knew he had found the One. After some small talk - mostly about food and eating it - Zach knew that the proverbial clock would strike midnight and it wouldn't be long before this maiden - the One - would depart from the bar, and likely, from his life. Reciting a Wayne Gretzkey mantra from his childhood, Zach knew he would 100% miss this shot if he never took it. He mustered up the confidence and coyly asked Kira if he could take her out to dinner. Kira politely smiled and said, “Um...I'm not really doing the guy thing right now." Alas! Her words stunned Zach like a thousand tasers. He smiled awkwardly and went back to talking about food, but feeling deflated. But Zach does not give up easily. He rebounded with a new tactic - create a line of questioning where only “yes" could be the answer. “So, do you like food? You need to eat, right? Let's have a food appreciation night, no strings attached." Impressed (or irritated?) by this desperado's persistence, Kira giggled, nodded, and then reached into her purse, and handed Zach…her business card. Viewing this mundane business custom as a heavenly sign of their future long-lasting matrimony, Zach smiled and said, “Awesome! I’ll fax you!” Two days later, Kira and Zach did go out to dinner...for 4.5 hours. Over seafood, bourbon, and lots of pasta, it was love at first bite!

It was November 2016 around midnight. A phone text from an old colleague in travel read, “Flash sale! Flights to Europe under $500!" We began scouring the Internet for these cheap fares. Kira had never been to Europe and longed to visit Italy to satiate her love of pasta. We found the “deal of the century" - $421/pp R/T from HNL to ROMA in Aug/Sept 2017 - 10 months away. At this point, we had only been dating for 4 months; Zach asked, hopeful and curiously, “Are we still going to be together in September?" Kira responded, “Guess we’ll find out! Now book the *** thing!” Zach smiled. Confirmation! Minutes later, two tickets to Roma. Part of their Italy itinerary included Tuscany. Thanks to his friend Donato Loperfido, Zach locked in a one-night stay at Il Borro Relais, an elegant 13-century medieval castle-turned-luxury hamlet that had been luxuriously remodeled by the Ferragamo family. Unbeknownst to him, this would be the home of their Proposal. Meanwhile, Zach really had no idea what he was doing. He had planned no grand speech (very atypical) and hadn’t really decided on where to propose. By the time they arrived at Il Borro, he had blown chances in Roma, Positano, and Capri. After settling into their room at Il Borro, and eyeing how exclusively empty the resort was, Zach suggested they walk the grounds. He styled his hair like Kira liked, had in tow some Prosecco and a Go Pro, which she later revealed were giveaways. They grazed the beautiful village taking pictures and eventually came to the enchanted Fountain Garden. This was perfect! Zach set up the Go Pro for a “photo op,” but Kira knew what was about to happen. As they posed awkwardly for what was actually a video recording, Zach looked into Kira’s eyes and delivered the most incoherent yet heartfelt appeal for why they belonged together forever. He was at a loss for words right when he needed them the most. Kira didn’t care. Without words, she kissed her life partner with all her might.