When I (Rocco) started my first full time job after graduating college I was assigned to a six-week project in San Diego. I only knew a couple people that lived in SD back from high school, and figured it would be a good opportunity to reconnect. They invited me to karaoke with friends and though it was a bit uneasy not knowing most people, Rachel extended a warm hand and began talking to me. It really touched me that she was so kind and friendly to me, knowing it would be awkward for many people to be with a bunch of people they don’t know. We talked more and more that evening and began texting the next couple weeks. I knew I was interested and needed to seize my opportunity since I only had six weeks in San Diego. I asked Rachel out on a date and to my delight, she accepted! I was elated! We went out to an Oscar’s by the beach and talked for six hours - It was 1 am when I dropped her off at home and I still had to drive back to Los Angeles! Of course I was tired but I knew something special had started. However, to say I was interested at first sight would not be accurate.. because I was interested before I met Rachel. Before I graduated, Rachel first caught my eye when her tagged Facebook photos posted by our mutual friend appeared on Facebook. With some good ol' non-creepy 2010’s Facebook stalking, I discovered her study abroad blog where I got to see not only her pretty face but her beautiful heart and mind. To be frank, I was infatuated. On July 30th, 2016 post-graduation, seemingly out of nowhere, I had a dream where I met and spoke with Rachel. It felt so weird and different from any other dream before that I wrote about it in my iPhone notes, which to this day, is still untouched where the date has not changed. “Love before first sight”, I wrote. It’s nothing short of a miracle that I met my dream girl just two months later. If I ever needed to be reminded of God’s unyielding faithfulness, I would simply flip to my iPhone note dated July 30th, 2016.

In the midst of the pandemic, two of my closest girlfriends and I planned to get together for a picnic - one of many that summer as one of the most popular pandemic-friendly pastimes. It all seemed innocent until my suspicions began to raise as they texted on and on about wearing cute outfits and picking the perfect location. The day came and as our lovely picnic was wrapping up, L and I headed to the bathroom where... my zipper broke. Of course. Somehow they still dragged me to the next location, all the while I was stressing and trying my hardest to keep that zipper intact. When I finally saw Rocco at the proposal site at Arlington Gardens with all our family members hiding in the bushes, I involuntarily said out loud "Oh NO"... ultimately, despite the outfit mishap, Rocco was able to pop the question and make me the luckiest girl ever! I thought the surprises ended there, but the day continued when we got home with a surprise drive-by where our closest friends were able to stop by and say hi. Then, after a Sugarfish dinner, Rocco said we were going to hop on a FaceTime call with his parents who were in Taiwan and unable to be there... instead, it was our friends who couldn't make it that day all on a zoom call, which was so so special. We ended the most amazing day with the last surprise, a sweet video made by the talented Rocco himself, up on a big screen projector, outside and under the stars. Seeing all the stress and effort Rocco put into planning each little detail of the proposal, from scouting out locations to agonizing over every aspect of the ring was super heartwarming and is such a testament to the thought and care he puts into everything he does.

On May 15th, amidst the unpredictability of the course of the pandemic, Rachel's father married us in an intimate ceremony before our immediate family. It was the sweetest morning filled with joy, lots of tears, and the goodness of God. The only thing missing was all of you - we can't wait to celebrate our marriage with the rest of our friends and family soon!