We joke that we *just missed* each other our whole lives before officially getting together. We both went to high school at Westerville South and passed each other in the halls. We both lived in the University Village area at the same time. Lorena worked at a bar Mike often frequented. We both made moves to California. We were so close to finding each other so many times. We first officially met when we were 21, bartending together at a club in Columbus, called Liberty's, housed in an old bank. We flirted and shared a kiss, but then we lost touch and life went on. Years later, in 2016, Lorena was living in Venice, CA and found Mike on Facebook and contacted him. We figured out how we knew each other and agreed to meet when Lorena came to Columbus for a visit. We went on a date in the Short North. On that date Mike told Lorena he never wanted to get married again and Lorena showed Mike photos of her ideal Celtic wedding (men in kilts, ha!). By the end of the night Mike was asking to see Lorena again before she left. We saw each other a few more times that trip and knew we had something special. We dated long distance for 9 months, flying back and forth from California and Ohio. In April of 2017, Mike flew to California to move Lorena back to Ohio. We found an apartment in the Short North and started building our life together. Six years later, we now have a lovely house full of cats we adore and are so proud of what we have accomplished. We are stronger together than we could ever be separately and chalk our success up to never giving up and sticking by each other. On August 12, 2022, with the help of so many of our friends, Mike proposed to Lorena seaside, on a bluff at Pt Dume in Malibu, CA. It has always been a dream to get married by the ocean we love so much. Now it is becoming a reality! We know we couldn't have made it this far without the love and support of our family and friends. We are SO ELATED to celebrate our love with you!