You're cordially invited!

Thank you!

Steph and Michael first met on the playground in 1st grade at Mount View Elementary back in 2001. Unbeknownst to Michael at the time, Steph was a big tomboy who liked to cause trouble during recess with her classmates. When Michael came up to Steph and her friend during break, she threw a handful of woodchips at his face and got in trouble with the recess teacher. Steph ended up moving to another school a few months later and the incident was supposedly forgotten. Eight years later, Michael and Steph ran into each other again at Vietnamese School as high school freshmen (Michael instantly recognized her as the one who through sawdust in his face while they were kids). They grew to be close friends and then to best friends throughout high school attending homecoming dances and prom together. When Valentine's Day arrived in senior year, Michael surprised Steph afterschool with a guitar, playing "Valentine" by Kina Grannis (which he secretly practiced for three months) and asking her to be his sweetheart. The rest was history!

Steph, Michael, and their friends took a road trip to Los Angeles on the weekend of her best friend Maria's wedding. During a full day biking on Santa Monica Pier and exploring the Grand Central Market, Michael suggested they squeeze in a visit to Joshua Tree National Park - one of the places Steph has always wanted to go see. In order to catch the sunset, Steph, Michael, and Steph's sister Rosa immediately hit the road and sped along the winding desert roads for two hours at 90-100mph to reach Joshua Tree. The sun was already on the verge of setting over the horizon by the time they arrived, so Michael pulled over to the side of the road right before the National Park entrance. The desert roadside was lush with cacti and iconic Joshua trees that made for a gorgeous scenery, so Michael, Steph, and Rosa quickly made their way up a sandy hill to explore and take pictures. While helping to take photos, Rosa also secretly started recording on her phone in anticipation of what's to come. After a shot or two, Michael turned to Steph and got down on one knee (being mindful of all the spiky cacti around him) with a ring box open. He held out the ring and she tearfully offered her hand for him to slip the ring on.