Mutual friends, Eric and Irma, knew Ryan and Shalay individually for some time and eventually hatched their plan to get the two together. After a few attempts to have Shalay join softball gatherings, that Ryan would no doubt be attending, they cleverly extended invites to a friend’s barbecue for the first introduction. Conversation revealed, Eric and Irma had also invited both Ryan and Shalay to their annual river trip the next week. The only single people on the trip, not a coincidence! It was a great time, the trip was a blast! On the last day of the trip, numbers were finally exchanged, the match makers plans were successful! The official first date happened the following weekend and it’s been crazy about each other ever since! More than a few Padres games, beach days, softball games and weddings, holidays and snow trips, family gatherings, festivals, camping trips and countless celebrations with friends, many, MANY restaurants, a couple crazy pandemic years and a few address changes later…

It was our four year anniversary for our first date. We had plans to go out for a nice dinner and exchange gifts with each other. Before dinner we boarded a gondola at Lake San Marcos for a nice romantic boat ride. The gondolier sang to us and set the mood as he paddled. He then saw an empty bottle in the lake and kindly asked Shalay to pick it up as we passed by. As she picked it up, she realized it wasn't trash and that there was a note inside the bottle. The note I had written, telling her how much I have cared for her over these four years and that I wanted to take the relationship to the next level. Then I got down on one knee in front of Shalay on the gondola and asked her to marry me. She said YES!