When Mariana told Philip, “you have to read the book first” before she would agree to a movie date, he got the book and read it cover to cover that night. (It was only The Hunger Games, but that’s beside the point). Over the next 2 years Mariana and Philip dated at Notre Dame, going to Keenan/BP dorm dances and Rugby team formals, where Mariana was definitely better dressed than Philip. While they had different majors, also Mariana did better in all the classes that they did share together. It should have become clear that they were both non-planners (some say spontaneous) that on their trip together to the Amazon, they were woefully unprepared (without yellow fever shots, flashlights, and running out of cash with a few days left). After graduation, Mariana took Philip through Mexico, stopping at Mexico City, Puebla, Guanajuato and finally her hometown of Sahuayo and nearby Guadalajara. They persisted through years of long distance, while Mariana did her Masters at Notre Dame, and then later when Philip went to business school. In the middle, Mariana made the jump to Shanghai for a year, where they adopted 3 dogs – 2/3rds of them schnauzers. One of them – Oliver – made the move back to the US, and is a constant companion to Philip and Mariana in their life together. In fall 2019, Mariana and Philip moved to San Francisco, picking an apartment at the very top of Russian Hill (visitors be warned of the steps you will have to scale). Since then, daily 7am walks along the bay, drinking in Fort Mason and Alamo parks, weekly trips to the beach, and spending long nights with closest friends has made the city feel like home.

With a huge help from lots of friends, Philip surprised Mariana in Shakespeare Garden in Golden Gate park, asking her to marry him while Mariachi played at sunset. Leading up to the event Philip had convinced Mariana that they had tickets to a small scale (socially distant!) play in the park, Midsummer Night’s Dream – all in the ruse that she would dress up for a Friday night date. When the big day arrived, Philip gave last minute calls to his best men, Jojo Sutkowski and Dom Romeo. He then returned home, and facetimed Mariana’s maid of honor – Cristina. She helped Philip pack a bag for a weekend getaway, representing the first time (and last) Philip ever chose Mariana’s outfit. When the afternoon rolled around – only after Mariana insisted on watching her favorite show – Avatar the Last Airbender – the two finished getting ready and went to Pacific Catch on the edge of Golden Gate Park. At dinner, Philip kept the clandestine group of friends updated as they set up the Shakespeare Garden with a row of candles, ushered the Mariachi Band in, and kept away curious parkgoers. As they turned the corner to the garden, Philip realized they had to race one tourist to get to the gate – to get the door open which would cue the music. Thankfully, they got to the gate in time after hurrying along Oliver. Mariana saw the Mariachi, and after first wondering if it was a special SF version of Shakespeare it dawned on her that it was not a normal play in the park. They opened the gates and started walking down the lit aisle as the band started playing. Philip asked Mariana to be his wife and they danced just before sunset as the band went through a few songs - Como quien pierde una Estrella, Nube Viajara and Sabor a mi. Thankfully, the crew has secretly set up a phone to capture the moment and brought Philip and Mariana’s car outside the gate – all without being seen. They sped off to Carmel-by-the-Sea and called their parents the next morning to share the wonderful news.