by Mikaela The first memory I have of Michael is him playing basketball on the blacktop at Castaic Middle School. We didn't talk much, but over the years had mutual friends and classes together. When it came time for high school Michael ended up at Valencia and I went to West Ranch. Not much happened throughout high school aside from the casual "Hi, I hope you're doing well" at football games. College came and I headed to UC Irvine. Later I would learn that Michael set off to New York to play football at Cornell. We didn't chat much during college, but have learned over recent years from our Facebook memories that there was some checking in, birthday wishes, and small talk. It wasn't until December 2013 that we began to talk more. Michael sent an instant message to me and we spent a few months catching up. In March 2014 we finally met up to grab drinks which resulted in our first date a week later.

His Story There were so many emotions going through my mind that day. My palms were unusually sweaty. My knees felt terribly weak. And my arms (don't even get me started on my arms) were heavy. I wasn't able to eat all day and just as I was driving over to her house, I looked down to find a stain on my sweater already, it was my mom's famous spaghetti. Luckily I had a jacket in my car to change into. I picked her up from her parents' house and we set off to HaHa Cafe, a comedy club in North Hollywood. I figured it'd be a fun place to go to since I've never been to one before, but more importantly, I had two free tickets. One of the first things that attracted me to her was how talkative she was during the car ride over. It was nice knowing she could hold a great conversation. We got to the comedy club, had a few drinks, lots of laughs and before I knew it the night was coming to an end. As we walked back to my car, with her arm wrapped underneath mine, I knew that this would be the moment for our first kiss. I knew I had one shot, one opportunity. Would I capture it? Would I let it slip? We got to my car and before heading out, we locked eyes, shared a smile and the rest is history. Her Story While getting ready I sipped on a cocktail (or two) served by my mom and took a shot of vodka over FaceTime with a friend. After a knock on the door and quick introduction to my parents, we were off to HaHa Cafe. As he walked me to his car, the tipsy hit. All I could think was walk straight, stop talking, and don't say anything stupid. I'm confident by the time he parked, he knew my life story. He thought I was talkative and could carry great conversation... well the joke's on him, it was the vodka. To top it off, the show had a two drink minimum. I ordered a beer and then another, laughed a lot, and mostly crossed my fingers I'd make it through the date without looking drunk. Good news. It must have worked. We walked to the car, he asked for a kiss, and the rest is history.

by Michael After sharing a nice Italian dinner at Toma, we set out to explore downtown Santa Barbara. Taking a walk after dinner is one of our favorite things to do together. We grabbed some ice cream at a local ice cream shop and made our way to the pier for a night cap of wine tasting at Deep Sea Winery. After sharing some blends, Cabernets, and some laughs we headed out. She thought we were making our way back to the hotel, but little did she know I had something else in mind. The pier was lit up and we had it all to ourselves. My brother and sister managed to distract her through our sibling group chat which gave me just enough time to find the perfect moment to get down on one knee and ask her to marry me. It was just us together, with no one around, and it was perfect.