We were in the same Japanese class together at Irvine Valley College. Since the class ended after dark, we decided to be walking buddies to the parking lot. Safety in number and all! From there we really hit it off, talking for hours in the freezing cold right next to our cars each night after class. Finally Paul suggested that we hang out somewhere other than the parking lot, and the rest is history. We officially became a couple on April 12, 2012 when I announced that I liked Paul in front of the entire class!

I think Paul had marriage on his mind from the get-go (wink), but we really started talking about it after seeing the most lovely wedding in Laguna Beach on June 24, 2017. Even though we knew what we wanted, life happened and by November Paul informed me that he just wasn’t ready to propose yet. We talked it out and I agreed that we could wait. The very next week, Paul took me to his favorite spot in the mountains, Lake Gregory in Crestline. I thought this was a normal outing, until Paul took a knee in the pine needles and pulled out a box. According to Paul, it took me about two minutes to say something beyond “Are you serious?!” I finally said yes, and we walked around the alpine lake, planning our future.