We're (finally) getting married!

"Seems silly, doesn't it? A wedding. Given everything that's going on." - Ginny Weasley "Maybe that's the best reason to have it. Because of everything that's going on." - Harry Potter ~ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Movie)

Okay, so, the *first* time Mykhanh and Josh met, she was five and he was seven (approximately), and their families sat next to each other at church. It's not clear if they actually said hi to each other or acknowledged each other's presence, because they were five and seven and have no memory of this (they probably did not because they were shy). But still. Over the next many years, Mykhanh and Josh crossed paths over and over again -- family carpools to school, their sisters were classmates, mutual friend groups -- and always had a friendly hello for the other. But Mykhanh was quite mature for her age, and Josh... well, Josh might have had some growing up to do still. This trend continued through to their college years; during the holidays, they would encounter each other at Church or elsewhere amongst friends, and always reconnect warmly, but never more than that. This all changed after college. During the summer of 2015, Josh returned from his graduate studies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and less than a month later, Mykhanh came back from her second stint living abroad in Beijing. And, perhaps out of a sense of comfort or familiarity, both sought out community at their old home parish. They both began singing for the evening church choir and always seemed to find reasons to linger around together afterward, at first in the parking lot, and then eventually at a local bubble tea café. It took quite a while for either of them to admit that there might be more than feelings of friendship. In fact, their “first date” wasn’t confirmed as such until much later (they went and saw a play-- Josh thought he had asked her out, but Mykhanh was too oblivious and just happy that they were finally going to the theatre together). Eventually, after a cozy conversation over lavender milk tea, they confessed to each other that they liked the other as more than friends. And that's how they met, for the last first time.

After they had a chance to sit down together with both sets of parents to ask for their blessings, Josh took Mykhanh out on a ferry to Bainbridge Island on a typical, blustery PNW October afternoon. They grabbed some pastries, coffee, and tea from the Blackbird, and then drove to their favorite spot on the island, the Labyrinth Mosaic at the Halls Hill Lookout. Some background: Josh and Mykhanh love "adventuring" together. They do not enjoy celebrating (Josh) or planning (Mykhanh) their own birthdays, so early on, they decided to plan fun surprise activities for the other's. During that first year, Mykhanh planned a kayaking session on Lake Union, and Josh planned a day away exploring Bainbridge. Among other things they explored, they found the mosaic prayer labyrinth, secluded off the road in the woods. For those unfamiliar with this prayer practice: a labyrinth is set or inscribed in the ground, with a single path that turns in on itself, over and over, creating a circular pattern, with the path ending in the center. While walking towards the center, one is encouraged to pray, reflect, or meditate on past events; at the center, the present; and on the way out, the future. It was in this prayer labyrinth that Josh asked Mykhanh. He has lit some candles around the perimeter, and the two of them walked the mosaic path. While they walked, they reminisced about the past almost-five years, reflected on their mutual growth, and talked about their plans for their future. Josh serenaded Mykhanh and asked the question when they made it to the center, revealing the blue moissanite ring from his pocket. Mykhanh said yes, obviously, but not before exclaiming, "It's so pretty!" They ended the day by almost missing the ferry back to mass at St. Joe’s, where they’ll be getting married.

Mykhanh proposed two weeks later, and for Josh, it was a pleasant surprise. The two of them decided to visit the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit at Seattle Center, a place they had visited before on a date. Now, the Chihuly art museum also holds a special sort of place in their story, as it is the place where Josh pranked Mykhanh by almost-but-not-really proposing almost three years ago. On this date (a birthday adventure for Mykhanh), Josh was being a good Instagram boyfriend and taking pictures of her in the glass greenhouse. At one point, Josh started to crouch down to get a better angle, and then made as if to take a knee, ya know, to ask a very important question (he claimed he just wanted to “see where she was at” with the big scary M word). It was at this point that Mykhanh freaked out and immediately ran to tackle-push him over with a panicked "No!" — what if people thought it was real!?! At any rate, that's where Mykhanh proposed, nearly three years later, by reading an excerpt from the script of the play they saw for their retroactively declared first date, "Constellations." She even got down on one knee and pulled out an ebony wood, meteorite, and titanium inlay ring! They got some pretty great pictures, too, because it turns out that Mykhanh had had her sister, My-An, show up an hour earlier with her camera to sneak around and snap great photos of the day.