For us, each momentous occasion began with a letter, followed by Luis waiting for me to make up my mind. As many people know I didn't always feel head over boots about Luis. Luis will joke that it took a global pandemic, two deployments, and him moving to tropical paradise for me to even consider him. Obviously, there's more to it than that. It took a little self growth to stop and consider that this wonderful friend of mine has never strayed. He has always been there. 2018- Lu and I had our first kiss the night of the West Point ball. After the ball I received a hand written letter from him that at the time blew my mind. I remember thinking , "How could Luis love me? He is crazy. He barely knows me." I didn't respond and he still somehow wanted to be my friend. 2019: We went on a cross-country roadtrip and shared a bed. I slept so far on the other side of it that he asked if he smelled bad given the healthy distance I put in between us. I didn't want to give the wrong impression, we were just friends. And yes. somehow Luis said he had a fantastic time on the road trip with me. 2019: Luis tries again, confessing his love to me via a letter that he had partially written in 2017. This time I share the letter with my mom and mistakenly Kathy Wong. They are enamored by his romantic words. They say, "Come on, Dana. How can you not like him?" This time I respond and say, "I'm sorry, I just don't see you that way right now." Luis still wants to be friends after this. 2020: Lu writes to me from Thailand. He writes about self discovery, travelling and loneliness. In this letter he asks me if I think we'll always be on opposite sides of the world. That spring for the first time ever, I write back to Luis and open up. Not even about us, but just about life in general. And at the end, I ask if he is seeing anyone, if he had moved on? And if there was still a chance that he'd like to see what a 5,000 miles away long distance "get to know you" , "see where this goes" relationship could be like. A couple months later we got the news that Lu would be deployed to Korea in the coming months. Feeling like this was our now or never shot, I fly to Hawaii amid the global pandemic. During my visit there was a moment where I felt completely in love with him. I of course wouldn't tell him for months after this. Even though he told me loved me everyday with no reciprocation for about a year. I actually thought he was my boyfriend before he did. Which led to a bit of an argument and then eventually an agreement that we were together. Our time differences didn't make it simple to celebrate an anniversary. ( August 22nd Hawaii time, August 23rd New York) We settled on August 22.5. 2021: Long distance love with a 13 hour time difference is tough, but we did it. And when Lu returned to Hawaii months later we found an apartment that we both liked so that I could move in with him in the fall. I thought this was crazy actually. And then I did it and I fell even more in love. And I don't think it's crazy anymore. 2022: Everyone decides they want to come visit Hawaii and we host people every week for three months. I hated it and loved it. Among those that visited, were two of my good friends. After seeing how happy we were they immediately asked when we were going to get married. I initially hadn't thought that it would be anytime soon. Not because we weren't ready, but other people seem to wait to do those things. The more I thought about it the more, I could not stop thinking about it. I talked to Luis and told him that I was ready whenever he was. If you haven't noticed Luis is always a few steps ahead of me. So, of course he was ready too. And thus a unforgettable trip to Kauai to get engaged, a move across the country, a new house, attending law school, starting a new job, and planning a wedding all in one year seemed like the only logical thing to do. I have no doubt he'll love me forever. He tells me so every night.

I joke that it took me moving 5,000 miles from home, deploying twice, and a pandemic for Dana to finally fall in love with me. Timing was never ideal for us. One of my favorite verses on love has long been 1 Corinthians 13, not because I’m devoutly religious (I’m not) but because it appeals to the poet in me. It goes, “Love is patient, love is kind.” And, this has been a rallying point for me all these years. I first had eyes for Dana while working with her as a lifeguard at the town pool – a most romantic setting. But, summers are only so long and before I knew it, I was away at West Point learning how to shine shoes. While at college, I came into my own. I learned what I wanted in a partner and a relationship through trial and error. My mom’s words echoed in my mind: “Don’t waste your time looking for the perfect woman; focus on becoming a better man.” Dana and I grew closer the longer we were away, appreciating the little time we’d share together at home on holiday. I knew then that I saw in her the free-spirited, deeply-thoughtful, genuine person that I’d always dreamed of. I asked Dana to join me for my 100th Night celebration and she said yes. It seemed fitting that after being away at school for four years, we wait until the last 100 days before the commencement of our professional lives to go on a date. I reasoned that she would be awe struck by the gothic architecture and radiant energy of my Rockbound Highland Home. She was. We talked the night away and connected on a spiritual level. I kissed her and fell in love. After graduation, I loaded my belongings into the bed of my ‘04 Dodge Dakota, played Springsteen’s “Born to Run” on the radio and drove 1,000 miles south to Ft. Benning, GA. I’d spend the next 13 months walking through the woods and jumping out of planes. I was lonely in the South. My refuge was listening to Bob Dylan – I got to see him perform live in Macon. But, Girl from the North Country reminded me of Dana who, at the time, was in the North Country. I took a weekend trip to visit Dana in the Adirondacks in autumn. She stole my thermal pajamas. Later that Spring, Dana asked me to join her for a cross-country trip from Buffalo to Santa Barbara. I used my pre-lawyering skills to convince my commander to give me a week of leave and flew home to begin the journey. During our trip, we saw the world’s largest rocking chair, pitchfork, and golf tee. We ran into Sergeant “Sticks” Larson from Live PD. We camped in the snow in Arizona. And, we didn’t gamble in Vegas. We spent five nights in five states, four of which felt like Texas, and Dana slept as far away from me as possible. She wasn’t ready to open up to me and I respected her boundaries. In August of 2019, I flew to Hawaii where I would live for the next three years. I never could have imagined the events that would unfold. I was given the privilege of leading a platoon. I flew with that platoon across the world to train with the Thai Army for several months. Thailand changed me. I experienced the squalor and dangers of a kingdom in the form of rabid dogs and hungry children. I shared my experiences with Dana. Enter COVID-19. We were forced to leave country early due to the rising COVID deaths and degree of uncertainty. When I arrived back on Oahu, the scene was surreal. The island had closed its ports to non-residents and forced residents to stay home. It was during this time that Dana wrote me her first letter and she signaled that she was ready to try being more than friends. Later that summer, the island relaxed its restrictions and allowed visitors. Dana visited and we enjoyed every moment. Shortly after she left, I received a 30-day notice that I’d be deployed to Korea for 6 months. All these years later, we began dating. Being time zones and thousands of miles apart forced us to be patient and communicate well. I presume you know the rest. We moved to the North Shore, got blessings, and were engaged on the Na Pali Coast. Love is patient.