Josh and Mieko became friends in 2011 when Josh was tattooing at the shop around the corner from where Mieko was managing a beer and sausage joint in Downtown Oakland. Josh would come in to watch Detroit Red Wings games and Mieko would comp him ciders and they would talk and laugh together. Neither of them had any inkling of how this budding friendship would blossom into romantic love, or how close to Detroit they would eventually go. Life happened and lots of things changed for both of them, but Mieko and Josh remained friends through all of it, just friends (aside from one little make out session at Mieko's 30th birthday party) until one day in 2015 when the two saw each other for the first time in a while and something changed between them. There was a spark of electricity that had never been there before, but was suddenly undeniable. Neither wanted to jeopardize their friendship, so they took things slow and cautious. But as much as they respected each other's boundaries, they both knew they were meant to be together. So when Mieko was accepted to her first choice graduate program at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2017, Josh didn't hesitate to make the journey with her. And while they had both thought that they would move back to California as soon as the program was finished, it turns out that the California boy who was randomly a Red Wings fan, and this California girl fell in love with Michigan too. Just after the clock struck midnight and 2020 was officially over and done with, Josh got down on one knee in their new apartment, half unpacked boxes everywhere, and produced the most beautiful ring Mieko had ever seen. He asked her to marry him and she said yes through tears of joy. And now we invite you to join these two as they take their next steps on their journey to Forever.