MATTHEW 19:6

When I matched with Kanani on Coffee Meets Bagel, I quickly realized how special she was. To my surprise, not only was Kanani receptive to my corny pick-up line (ask me later), she also charmed me with her sense of humor. When I asked Kanani where she was from she said “the south.” I didn’t know until later she meant the South Bay (San Jose). Over the course of a few weeks Kanani and I bonded over our love for family, our Catholic faith, and especially our reverence for St. Jude. During one conversation Kanani said “thanking St. Jude for matching us.” After she said this I knew she was the one. I finally mustered the courage to ask Kanani on a date to Puesto, a Mexican restaurant in Santa Clara. She said yes! We were slated to meet at Puesto at 6pm. I was so excited to meet Kanani that I was dressed and ready by 3pm. I nervously paced around my house until it was time to make my way to the restaurant. When I saw Kanani for the first time she looked absolutely stunning—the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life. She wore a blazer (a Kanani staple) and a shiny silver purse. I later learned that her purse was hand-picked by her little cousin (and one of our future flower girls), Keana. We lost track of the time during our date, a Puesto employee gently let us know they were past closing. In the weeks after our first date, our love for each other continued to grow. We wrote letters to each other, attended Sunday mass, cooked meals, and talked frequently on the phone. One weekend we were on the phone and before we knew it, we had been talking for 12 hours straight. After three months of dating, we knew we had a very strong connection and we talked about getting married. In fact, after just three months together we went on a date to Starbucks (Coleman Avenue, San Jose) to map out our wedding timeline. On that day we spoke it into existence (on a yellow legal pad)—we would get married on September 21, 2024. On September 29, 2023, I got tickets for Kanani and me to attend a candlelit symphony at the Sacramento Railroad Museum. The theme of the symphony that night was Taylor Swift. Little did she know I had been organizing with the event managers for weeks to propose to her during the concert. I managed to get the orchestra to call us up on stage before they played their last set “Lover,” a song that Kanani told me she liked a few months before. We made our way to the stage, I got down on one knee and asked Kanani to marry me. The only words I could think to say was “Thanking St. Jude. Will you marry me?” Fast forward two years since our first date, I not only found a wife but also my best friend. Whether we are singing loudly (and wildly) in the car, attending a play, dressing up for a dinner at an elegant restaurant, eating ice cream in the car, or anything in between, any activity with Kanani fuels the same kind of love and excitement that I felt for her on our first date.

Some people believe that love is written in the stars, and although that may be true, I know for certain the stars were feeling extra crafty the night they decided our paths were ready to cross. *** I sat at the little island in my apartment looking down at magazines for hours with my best friend and maid of honor, Ivanna. Ivanna hurriedly cut out images of baby clothes, fashion models, and the usual quotes about health and fitness. I felt a ping of yearning to be that sure of what I wanted for myself. For the first time since starting our little tradition of creating mood boards it wasn’t clear what I wanted or needed, so I simply cut out images of flowers. That night I cut out each and every flower I came across. Ivanna joked that I was manifesting a garden and I laughed because I was never one to gravitate towards flowers. I never asked for flowers. I never thought flowers to be anything special. Flowers were never my love language. *** Fast forward to later in the year, I was on my second date with Luis. Luis asked me to open his car door and nestled on the passenger seat was a bouquet of flowers. Almost every date after that included a new bouquet. It didn’t matter if I had only seen him a few days prior, Luis would get out of his car holding a perfectly curated bunch. It was finally a few months into us dating that it hit me – the stars manifested Luis. The stars manifested the man that would bring flowers into my life. You see, while I may never ask for flowers, Luis makes sure I never lack any. And though there was once a time in my life I didn't think flowers to be special, Luis has since made them sentimental. And even if flowers were never my love language, they’re Luis’s, and appreciating everything about Luis is mine. *** Thank you, God. Thank you, Saint Jude. Thank you to all the stars in heaven. Luis is patient, Luis is kind. Luis does not envy, does not boast, is not prideful. Luis does not dishonor others, nor is he self-seeking or easily angered. Luis keeps no records of wrongs. Luis does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Luis always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always preservers. Luis is the biblical definition of love. I am honored to marry him on September 21, 2024.