We can't wait to celebrate with you!

~HIS STORY~ Makala and I met in the summer of 2015. Many of our friends were in town for a celebration and her family was also there. It was not till the end of the night that we were introduced, and a few words were exchanged but not much more than that. In late September she was having a celebration dinner for her birthday and we were invited, later that night Makala and I sat by the fire and exchanged stories for a few hours and towards the end of the night I asked her if she wanted to go on a road trip to New Mexico! During that trip we spent over 50 hours on the road and really enjoyed each other’s company and it was at this point I asked Makala to be my partner in crime, mi uno compadre, my girlfriend. During the next few years, we accomplished many things together, adopted a beautiful doggo Bernardo, traveling to many distant lands, from Central America to Asia in our shared drive to expanding our understanding of the world. -------------------------------- ~HER STORY~ Patrick and I met on his birthday. He was having friends in town and our parents were close, so my family went to the celebration. I hadn’t ever met Patrick, but I helped his mom find a place to get a cake for the celebration. At the end of the night, we finally met, and I was so nervous by how tall and cute he was, we barely spoke to one another. A month later, I invited him and his mom to my birthday dinner. After dinner, Patrick ended up staying at the house to hang out. We swapped stories for hours and he invited me to go to New Mexico with him. I said, yeah, why not! I think he thought I was kidding at first, but hey, you only live once, right? We had a blast on the road, getting to know each other and I got to meet his dad too! We became friends quickly and felt an instant connection. On the trip, he asked me to be his girlfriend and the rest is history!

In 2019, Makala is in her final semester of her nursing program, and we are set to go on a celebratory trip to Japan and China to experience two different cultures on the other side of the world. At this point I have purchased a ring and was planning on asking Makala to be my wife, and in my mind, Japan would be the perfect place to get down on one knee. Well of course it did not work out the way I imagined it, and the three days in Japan quickly flew by. With this rock in my pocket, I knew I had to get this thing on her finger quickly, or it was going to get lost, and I (we) would be devastated. Our first day in China was in Shanghai, a beautiful cutting-edge modern city with a stunning historical district (British architecture) right on the Bund. Our first time out in the city was a visit to the Old City of Shanghai and the lovely Yu Gardens. Once we entered the gardens, I knew this was the place, now I just had to find a secluded area so we would not draw attention. Much of the time spent in the garden, we were astonished by the beauty of the towers and pavilions that contained the immense amount of detail that still existed from the 16th century. Once we pulled ourselves back to the present, we broke from the group and wandered off to a separate corridor. This area was more secluded and once we ran across the friendly young cat that cared for the area, I knew this was the spot. We found a little cubby with rockery that in my mind represented us, one was tall and the other was short, standing side by side. Once my hand reached out to grab hers and we both felt the extent of the nervous tremor in my hand, it was obvious what was about to happen. From here we spent the next few weeks traveling through China being a couple of oology drooly googly love bugs. The End.

As many of our friends know, we love to travel and learn new things about the world and various cultures. We had planned a trip to China and Japan once I graduated nursing school in the Spring of 2019. I have always wanted to see Japan and I had joked with my friends that maybe Patrick would pop the question! Either way, we were both so excited for this vacation. Looking back, there were definitely signs Patrick had tried to propose while visiting Mt. Fuji but we had only so much time to see the sights with our tour guide. We landed in China, took in all the sights of Shanghai, and were set to visit the Yu Gardens in the Old City of Shanghai. This place was so cool. It was the historical part of Shanghai set in the middle of the new age hustle and bustle of the city life. We were with our tour group and had an hour of free time to roam. The amazing thing about the garden is it was once owned by a family over 400 years ago. There are so many sections, buildings, and hidden treasures throughout the garden. I could tell Patrick was acting different, had a sort of look in his eyes. We found one of the temple cats that was looked after by the locals and near by was a little nook in the garden with two stones. Patrick looked up at them and said, hey look, it looks like us. The rest is a little fuzzy. He got down on one knee and I know he said a lot of amazing and sweet things, but I was still trying to take it all in. Almost four years after meeting, my best friend became my fiancé! We have been through many ups and downs over the years and I’m sure there will be more to come but I know we will overcome any obstacle. I couldn’t be more excited to see where the world will take us!