We met while working together at In-N-Out during high school. There wasn’t an immediate attraction. Erik was the loud, goofy, friendly extrovert coworker, while Leilani was shy and quiet. As time went on, Leilani began to enjoy working with Erik and his sense of humor. Around that time, Erik had made a new Marketplace purchase of what he proudly described as a mint-condition Mercedes. Erik was not shy about this purchase and told everyone about it at work. One day, Erik asked Leilani to go for a ride in the Mercedes after their shifts ended. We walked out to the parking lot together and, much to Leilani’s surprise, the Mercedes was not quite as Erik had described. The Mercedes was OLD (1981 to be exact)! We went for our drive and shared many laughs. Erik was very proud of his car and all the work he had put into it, which Leilani admired. Ever since that night, we were inseparable and texting nonstop. Shortly after, Leilani went to Maui for Thanksgiving, and Erik was scheduled to pick her up from the airport. When Leilani arrived, Erik had painted on the back of his Mercedes, “Will you be my girlfriend?” Leilani, of course, said yes, and the rest is history. Here we are ten years later with our little family—us and our puppy, Phoebe. We have gone through many challenges and changes in life together, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for our story.