Happily Ever de Leos

The story of how Jonathan and Linh met is rock solid. But the number of times they've been in the same room together (without even knowing it) before they actually met remains a mystery. If you've ever heard either of them tell the story, you'd understand. You see, they had a common group of friends which always put them in each other's path. But they never were introduced to one another by anyone. They would just keep seeing the other person at events and functions but never made their way across the room to actually meet. 5-6 months of this continues until one day, Jonathan and Linh officially meet at a pool party at the end of summer. As their friendship continued to grow, Jonathan would share stories about things in his past. Linh would recall and confirm that she's been at the exact same event or location. This is called divine confirmation. Jonathan and Linh were 1000% absolutely meant to meet and be in each other's lives. So, this is where our Lover's story begins.

A few months after meeting, they finally decided that they really wanted to give this thing a go. They planned their first date at a sushi restaurant. Jonathan was a very plain and simple eater and Linh pretty much would try anything at least once. Jonathan's sushi selection began and ended with a salmon roll while Linh ordered all the rolls. He didn't know it then but this was only the beginning. With food and life alike, Linh would continue to push Jonathan out of his comfort zone and to try new things. Similarly, Jonathan would always be her safe haven and pull her in when she was too far out in the water. They balanced each other well.

Jonathan showed up at Linh's house with a bouquet of daises with a single red rose and a card that read, "you're a rose in a field full of daises". They realized it was more than just a summer romance and decided to make it official.

It didn't take long for Jonathan and Linh to fall in love. They both found qualities in one another that they admired and adored. Linh loved that Jonathan had strong family values and that his laugh could light up an entire city. Jonathan loved that Linh was ambitious and upapologetically herself. They had been holding in those three words for so long. When the conversation came up, they were both bursting at the seams trying to tell the other person that they were falling in love. From that point on, they continued to demonstrate that love through respect, kindness and compassion.

Jonathan and Linh began building a life full of love and laughter and on Linh's 29th birthday, in front of all their friends and family, he proposed. It needs to be made clear that Jonathan has a fear of flying (which he is slowing but surely getting over). Jonathan remembered that Linh mentioned she wanted to go on a helicopter tour one day but knew it would never happen because of his (once) crippling fear of flying. The morning of her 29th birthday, Jonathan surprised her with tickets he made that said they were going to be taking a helicopter tour of the city. Linh still did not suspect a thing, even after he told her to wear something nice. The tour was incredible and the views were unlike anything they've ever seen. He never once showed a moment of nervousness. When they finally hit the ground, he led her to the hanger door where a photographer was taking photos of them. She still didn't suspect anything because in her head she thought it was included in the tour package. A few frames in, she felt Jonathan grab her waist tighter while she heard the metal hangar door behind her began to slide open. In her head, she was thinking "that would be so funny if all our friends and family were behind me". When she turned around, she received the biggest surprise of her life. A circle of flowers were laid out on the ground in front of her and behind that all of their loves ones with smiles the size of the sun. Linh still didn't understand what was happening. Jonathan grabbed her hand and led her to the center of the flowers on the floor. The tears began to fall from her face the moment their eyes met. Jonathan dropped his knee and asked Linh to marry him. Without hesitation, her response was "hell yeah!"

Six weeks after the proposal, they found a beautiful townhouse in Whittier and moved in with their six year old dog Ares. Two months later, they rescued their baby girl Naia from the Baldwin Park animal shelter and became a family of four. Jonathan and Linh continue to make their house a home, Jonathan with his handy skills and Linh with her handmade crafts. They spent the next year and a half learning the ups and downs about living with someone still while falling more deeply in love with one another.

Which leads us to their wedding day. After five years of falling in love, they will be making their biggest commitment to date by tying the knot.