Willie and Becca met through his sister, Kindra. Willie had moved to Las Vegas for work, and Becca had returned to Reno after graduating college in Sacramento. On weekends, Willie would fly up to Reno to snowboard in Tahoe, and soon they became snowboarding buddies—driving up to the slopes together and getting to know each other on chairlifts and snow days. For about a year, Willie, Kindra, and Becca hung out constantly—the Three Amigos. Then one day, Willie asked Becca out on a date (and no, he did not ask Kindra first). Their first date was at Casa Grande, and by the summer of 2019, it became official. Since then, they’ve spent most of their days together—snowboarding, playing soccer, enjoying time with friends and family, and tackling work and home projects side by side.

In November 2024, we were in Kauai with Willie’s family for a vacation filled with golf, board games, pool days, beaches, amazing food, and a lot of laughter. Willie was very determined that we go hiking on the North Shore, so off we went to the Kalalau Trailhead to hike out to Hanakapi‘ai Beach. It was a gorgeous (and very muddy) walk along the coast. When we got to the beach, we sat down to relax. Out of nowhere, Willie offered me champagne—which seemed random, but I didn’t think too much of it. After a few sips, I wandered down to put my feet in the water. That’s when I spotted a bee struggling in the sand so I trying to figure out how to save it before the wave came. Meanwhile, Willie was behind me saying, “Pay attention to me.” I turned around, and there he was, down on one knee. I honestly couldn’t tell you what he said because I was in total shock. Apparently, I just kept saying “What?!” until Willie finally laughed and said, “I’m going to need an answer other than what.” Of course, I said yes. (The bee, unfortunately, did not make it.)