Thien and Josh met at a local Vietnamese guitar club in San Diego, CA where they both currently live. Loving music, philosophy, Mexican and Japanese food, anime, role-playing games and technology, Josh and Thien hit it off and have remained ever in love.

Josh and I went to Orlando for Christmas in 2023. I was happy to see the folks and relatives, getting ready to celebrate New Year's at my uncle's river house in Daytona. My sisters, An and Huong, were organizing the party and told everyone to dress up fancy for the event. There would be games, canoeing, karaoke, a buffet, and fireworks. It was going to be awesome. The day before New Year's, Josh and I drove to the river house with uncle Trung, aunt Yen, and my cousin Kayla before the rest of the family. We spent the day playing puzzles, going canoeing on the river, and shopping for the party. Little did I know, we were getting special treatment for a special reason. The next day, we got dressed and my aunt and sister were doing my hair. They kept complimenting my pretty curls and hinting that we were practicing for my wedding. But, I remember opining while holding up and looking at my hand, saying aloud, "If only I had a ring on my finger." Then the karaoke started. I requested a couple songs from my dad who was DJ-ing. Eventually some music videos which had wedding themes were popping up. I remember thinking, "I'm not married yet, and someone is annoying me with songs about getting married. This is mean!" So, I spent the evening enjoying the party and getting ready for the fireworks. It was great. I also finally got to see my brother, who had been ill for several years, finally get excited about New Year's. In fact, his recent relapse in health had me very upset and worried for most of the holidays, which was still on my mind causing me to mope around a lot. So, to see him get his pyro-frenzy on, shooting off bottle rockets and sparklers like there was no tomorrow was a great sign. So, I got into the sparklers, too, and enjoyed being with my family until late in the evening. Just as the countdown was going and the fireworks were all ablaze, Joshie turned to me and said aloud, "Thien, you are really special to me." I was thinking like, "Yeah, I know, Josh. You are special to me, too." And, then he said in a louder voice, "We have been together for the past several years...", and then he pulled out a ring box and opened it. I really couldn't hear the rest of what he said. In front of me was this sparkling ring, which I never possibly could have imagined would be mine. I was stunned, absolutely stunned. Jaw dropped. Tears in my eyes. My family was surrounding us with their phone cameras recording. I just couldn't believe this was the moment it was going to happen. It was magical. I soon found out later that everyone was in on it but me, obviously. Josh and my sisters had been planning this event for months. And, they tried so hard to keep me out of the loop, doing things behind my back. I remember going to the mall with Josh and my sisters to pick out New Year's party clothes. Huong and An were going to run off and check out other stores. While Josh was distracting me at Macy's, my "go-to" for all things discounted and fashionable, my sisters were secretly picking up the engagement ring from my cousins', Huy and Quoc's, jewelry store. I also remember that most of my family didn't get the memo to dress fancy for the New Year's party. So, it was just Huong, Josh and me who looked all gussied up. Turns out it was for the photos. Huong just dressed up so that I wouldn't be the wiser. At least, that's my theory. Another time I was kinda duped was when Josh's mom, Mrs. Hoffman, was resizing her rings with her professional-grade ring sizer. I wanted to know my ring size, too, so I tried it to get the right fit. Little did I know, Josh was taking careful notes. With all the secret plans and hints dropped, I was amazed by the dedication of all who were involved. Well, it made my year. New Year's of 2024 was the most magical night of my life. I finally got a proposal from the most adorable and wonderful man that I love. And, the rest is history.