Alana and Matt's adventure began with an almost failed setup as Matt left their first encounter thinking Alana was someone else's fiancée. Fortunately, they were both surrounded by good friends who coordinated passing along Alana's number. Matt and Alana soon learned they likely had close encounters on Melani St. in Hilo and at Roosevelt High School's 2008 graduation, but they were fortunate to meet when Matt's hair was not longer than Alana's. Throughout their journey together, they have enjoyed traveling and hiking to many breathtaking views, whether in Hawai'i, the Pacific Northwest, New Zealand, Scotland, or most recently Japan. Alana has indoctrinated Matt to the foodie life (i.e. standing in line for 2.5 hours for a dozen bagels) and has finally made strides in encouraging enthusiasm for anime...musicals are still a work in progress. In return, Matt has broadened Alana's knowledge of pop culture (a lot of it geeky) and has mostly succeeded in teaching Alana the correct names of NBA players and teams. Matt proposed to Alana in Scotland during a Ching family trip in 2023. Although it wasn't a complete surprise because someone spilled the beans (we will spare naming the culprit here), Matt made the engagement an extra special week long experience thanks to the help of their family and friends. Now, a brief seven years and several zip code changes later, Alana and Matt are looking forward to finally celebrating their marriage with their closest loved ones!