Tony and I met in late August 2009. I had a classroom switch, which led Tony and me to be in the same calculus class. Then a mutual friend introduced us, and we hit it off well. I sat in front of him and tried hard to stay focused and not turn around to talk to him. It was difficult because I was mesmerized by his colored eyes and sense of humor. He would also draw cute little notes of us together and place them on my desk. Although very sweet, I thought he was joking the whole time, so I didn’t think much of it and just paid attention to class. And I, Tony, secretly developed a crush on her. So I sent cute notes to try and get her attention. I remember drawing a picture of us standing next to a treehouse; she thought it was endearing. Still, I felt like I was in the friend zone, but I was persistent. She was pretty focused in class, and I really liked that about her. We later graduated and went off to college to face a different challenge, long distance.

It was Mili's graduation day, and I had planned to propose to her at a family gathering to celebrate. The day was going well, but 20 minutes into my drive to San Diego from Palmdale, I remembered I left the ring on the kitchen counter! Upon arrival to the graduation brunch, I became quite nervous. What I rehearsed over and over again started to feel improvised. But when the moment presented itself I seized it. I got down on one knee and pulled the ring out of my pocket. What I recited went out the window and all I could say was, "Will you marry me?" Mili happily said YES!!