Rogelio I still remember the night we met. My roommate, Rachel, had invited me out to a house party, and not only did I feel like an outsider, which added to my nervousness, but I was also recovering from a cold. So I truly had no business going out to a party that night. As it happened, destiny had other plans set in motion for me. I was hanging out in the corner of the kitchen when Rachel walked over with some guy I hadn’t met yet. She turned to that guy and said, “McAndrew, I want you to meet my roommate, Roger.” McAndrew and I started talking, and something clicked right away. After just a few minutes of talking, he insisted I take a shot with him. Drinking felt like a bad idea since again, I was recovering from a cold, but as the party continued, I finally gave in and said yes to him. I know now that it was the best shot of my life, and the first yes of our forever. “Cheers, bitch!” McAndrew It started off like a normal house party with my usual group of friends. We were playing games, drinking heavily, and having a good time. A few hours into the party, my high school friend, Rachel, arrived with someone I had never seen before. She introduced us, and during that same interaction, I felt my standard impulse to ask Rogelio to take a shot with me. Back then, I had the reputation for pushing everyone to take shots and that night was no exception. He turned me down at first, but as the night went on, I finally convinced him to say yes. I poured the shot, we locked eyes, and I said, “Cheers, bitch!” Looking back, I never could have imagined how much our lives would change because of that one shot.

Rogelio Even though he didn’t like the idea, I kept telling McAndrew I was going to propose on his 30th birthday. Mainly because I wanted to throw him off and make sure the proposal was a real surprise. Without him knowing, I ordered his ring to have it ready for our Canada trip in August of 2024. I had no plan on how, when, or where I would propose. I just knew that the perfect moment would come on its own during our travels. I kept thinking, and planning - and overthinking; hoping that McAndrew wouldn’t figure out my intentions. Once we arrived in Canada, I felt like I couldn’t wait any longer, especially after holding the ring in my pocket for more than 24 hours! Then, out of nowhere, we found ourselves in the perfect place. A place that was very similar to where I had first asked him to be my boyfriend 6 years earlier. As I was trying to figure out the right moment to propose, McAndrew kept saying, “Can we go find a restroom? I need to pee.” “Wait, let’s walk for a few more minutes,” I promised. At last, we were seated on the perfect hill overlooking a bay, and that’s when I got on one knee and said, “McAndrew, I want to be with you forever. Will you marry me?” McAndrew Fast forward 6 years, Rogelio and I found ourselves on a romantic getaway in Vancouver, Canada. On the second day of our trip, we decided to have lunch on Granville Island. It was during these moments that I noticed Rogelio being quieter than usual. Little did I know, he was carrying a ring in his pocket and figuring out the perfect moment to propose. After we finished our meal, he suggested we walk around the island where we eventually stumbled upon Ron Basford Park. Coincidentally, it reminded me of the place where he asked me to be his boyfriend in 2018. Just ahead of us was a beautiful grassy hill surrounded by Alder Bay and he insisted that we sit at the top of the hill. Since there was already a group of people there, we continued our walk for a bit longer until they eventually left - leaving the view at the top of the hill for us to enjoy alone. After a short silence, he started talking nervously about how much we both had grown and how much better life had been since we met. I kept responding and agreeing to every point he brought up until he finally said, “Babe, let me finish what I need to say.” At this point, I was still completely oblivious to what was happening until he reached into his pocket and got down on one knee. Everything finally clicked into place, and before he could even ask, I said, “YES!”