We’re getting married!

As freshly graduated and inexperienced nurses they entered the brutally competitive hunt for their first assignments. Theresa always wanted to work in rural health and Morgan was desperate to move to Hawai’i. So, in 2011 we both applied for the same position in the ER of Moloka’i General Hospital. It was a close race, but the job eventually went to Morgan. But, as luck would have it, six months later a second position opened, and Theresa got her dream job. On the ruggedly beautiful and secluded island of Moloka’i, with a population of only 6500, we met and worked together. However, it was not love at first sight. Morgan was too bewildered and stressed in his first job in Hawai’i to pay attention to anything else and Theresa was still sore that some Haole mainlander stole her job! After some time and aided by the fact that there weren’t many people to hang out with on tiny Moloka’i, we became friends and eventually started a romance.

Our love story began on Moloka’i, but quickly turned long distance when Morgan moved to Oahu. Theresa stayed on Moloka’i and eventually moved to the Big Island. We spent the next couple years flying inter-island to see each other and took as many international adventures as we could. In 2016 Theresa finally moved back home to Oahu. Over the next 3 years we learned how to live with each other and in 2019 bought our home in Haleiwa.

In April 2021, we took a trip to Kaua’i with good friends. Morgan secretly carried a wedding ring in his pocket for three days, anxiously waiting for the right moment to pop the question. One night while walking the Hanalei Pier after dinner, and a few glasses of liquid courage, Morgan rested one knee on his slipper and asked Theresa to marry him. Unfortunately, it was pitch black so Theresa couldn’t see the ring and thought Morgan was making a cruel joke. After several minutes and a near argument Morgan let Theresa feel the ring and convinced her that he was for reals. She finally said Yes!

Some of you may be wondering why we are getting married on a Monday. It is a tradition in Theresa’s family for her Grandfather, Ông Ngoại, to choose the wedding date. Ông Ngoại chooses an auspicious wedding day based on our birthdays and the Vietnamese Zodiac calendar. We feel honored to have Ông Ngoại give us a lucky start to our marriage. And we are honored to share this day with all of you!