Well, we met like most couples these past few years...online! Michael commented on one of my videos and sent me a rose on Hinge, a "Super Like" if you will. We set up a couple Facetime dates before deciding to meet in-person. Due to the world being shut down, we had our first date that Friday night...take-out from Mercado in Pasadena. With good, old-fashioned cold food in hand, Michael came over to my place, like a Postmates delivery boy. Unlike Postmates, he brought a full bottle of tequila! Not the best first date, but we made it work. After some persuasion, and a pep talk from the peanut gallery (aka mom and dad), we decided to go out again the next week. This time, the state had re-opened up again, so our second date was incredible. It was our TRUE first date! He arrived with arms full of things I liked: roses, wine, and scrabble. All items carefully curated through our conversation and social media. He clearly was paying attention LOL. Anyways, back to the date... It was a cold and rainy January night, and it was perfect for some warm Italian, so we went to Mi Piace in Pasadena. As soon as we arrived during check-in, the waitress spoke to Michael privately and complimented us as the best-looking couple in the restaurant. Unbeknownst to her, we were indeed not a couple. With that being said, Michael explained the situation, and the waitress assured him that she would make sure that on her end everything would be perfect: food, wine, service, you name it! By the end of the night, we were already making plans to see each other again. And we did...again and again and never stopped. And voilá rest is history!

Picking the date and location is impossible for something so special, especially for someone so special. It was winter solstice 2021, which marked 11 months dating. Some might say, "Whoa! Eleven months! Isn't that a little soon?" Well, when you know you know, and I knew the second I laid eyes on her dancing to throwback 90's boy band jams on her Alexa. It was definitely sealed after we simultaneously danced to "It's Gonna be Me" by the one and only *Nsync. I called my parents that night as I drove back to Irvine (55 miles away) from her place, professing that I had found her - the girl of my dreams. We spent all our time together for months, during covid, so we got to know each other faster than most couples. After a few months of "you guys finish each other's sentences" from everyone we knew, I decided it was time. Sometime thereafter, I planned the date and locked it up with the man at the jeweler and the manager at the restaurant. Everything was set. To throw her off, we planned a nice evening of "ring shopping", just to look. As she was getting dolled up, I was getting ready in the spare bathroom and came out wearing a suit. Looking puzzled, she asked "Wait, you're wearing a suit...are you proposing tonight?" And of course I laughed, and lied through my teeth saying, "Nope. Not tonight. Let's just look at rings." She smiled and said, "okay". Little did she know, that I had already picked rings for her to choose from and had it all organized for her to make a decision. After arriving at the jewelers, she liked a couple options, one being the ring that I previously had chosen. That was my que, so I slipped into the back room with Anthony, and told him to size it and get it prepped. He told me that it would take 45 minutes, but he would drop it off at our restaurant. What a guy! Soon after, we left and went to dinner at Katsuya in Glendale. We had a top balcony view of the Americana, which was lit up with a fountain show and adorning with Christmas lights. It was picture perfect! About 20 minutes later, with our drinks just being delivered to our table, I got the text. "Come downstairs". After a few minutes of thanking him for the delivery, I went back upstairs. I sat down being super uncomfortable and somehow segwayed into "Listen you are my best friend and I love you". She had heard me say that so often so she wasn't fazed yet. As I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out the ring box, she stopped me and ask if I was going to get on my knee. I was so nervous, that I forgot about that part. LOL I got out of my seat and knelt down in front of her and pulled out the ring again. Let's try this again, I thought. Professing my love for her on my knee for what felt like minutes, she finally said yes! Everyone around us cheered and we had an incredible dinner. She had made me the happiest guy on Earth! This was the beginning of the rest of our lives and now I wake up a little happier each day in preparation for our big day!