My story starts back in March 2019 when I wanted to get Maziel's parents’ blessing before proposing. I had invited them to lunch in North Beach, SF and after a good conversation, Leticia and Eduardo gave me their blessing. Now that I had talked to her parents, I had to figure out where was I going to do this. We already had our trip to Europe planned so I thought proposing there would be a great idea. I reached out to Damian, who was living in Madrid at the time and told him I wanted to do it at Parque De El Retiro, but I had no idea exactly where. Damian was pivotal in identifying the best areas with a phenomenal background and limited foot traffic. Now, begins part 2: Our vacation. Originally, I was going to propose on Day 2 of the Madrid leg so we could have more time celebrating our engagement. That clearly wasn't supposed to be the plan since it was raining. So, I adapted and decided to do it on the second to last day of the trip, the only day when the sun was out. The day finally came and the nerves decided to join as well. That morning, I was pacing, quiet and nervous, traits that aren't very characteristic of me. Luckily, it wasn't very apparent, so I was told, but underneath it all, I knew that the most important question I’d ever ask was coming soon and I wanted everything perfect. We get to El Retiro after what felt like the LONGEST bus ride ever and started roaming the park, trying to find the spot Damian found the month before. After walking for 10-15 minutes, the cherry blossom trees appeared as if presenting themselves to be part of such a special occasion and instantly I knew: this is it. Shaking, I asked Maziel to take a picture, and followed-up with a kiss and the question: "I love you so much. Will you marry me?" I had so much more planned to say, rehearsing it to perfection, but completely forgot it all. Nonetheless, the moment was still perfect!

After almost 2 weeks in Europe, our trip was winding down in Madrid. We had been having such a fun time exploring and eating our way through Paris and Barcelona. While looking at the weather for our time in Madrid, Andrew noticed only 1 day where we would get a break from the rain and see the sun. He was a little too insistent we visit Parque del Retiro that day. Weird, but it made sense. With only a couple of days left in our trip, that single sunny day rolled around. That morning, we got up, had breakfast and made our way to the park. Andrew was quieter than normal on the bus ride over but I figured he just hadn't had enough coffee. Once we got to the park, we walked around looking for a row of cherry blossom trees that Andrew had mentioned some time before. We found them pretty quickly and Andrew asked if we should take a picture. (Andrew is never the first to suggest a picture.) I happily obliged as Damian snapped a few pictures. At that time, Andrew turned to me, told me he loved me and got down on one knee. The moment that Andrew asked "Will you marry me?" is one that will live on in my memories and heart forever.