We met though our common friend, OKCupid, on a winter day in December 2013. Tim always recalls that I arrived almost an hour late, but if my memory serves me right, I was only late for about 10 minutes! After our sushi lunch, we went to the next door Starbucks and got some hot coco. Time stood still as we talked about Disney movies, our hobbies, our families, travels, and our careers. Like a true gentleman, he dropped me off in front of my condo, which was 2 blocks away from the restaurant. He said that I looked way even better in person and that he had a great time. There were definitely butterflies in my tummy and I couldn't stop myself from smiling every time I thought of him. I didn’t realize that on that day, God finally answered the prayer I wrote at the back of my bible.

Per Ella - her version is correct. However, if you want the truth and nothing but the truth see below. After months of failed OkCupid attempts in Baltimore, I decided to expand my horizons to the DC area. I happened across a 94% match with a beautiful filipina girl named "Marie." After shooting my shot, we set up for a possible date on Saturday, 12/8/2013. To spice things up, I decided to cold call her the Friday before to hear her voice and to confirm plans. I later found out that she was on another date with a filipino dude when I called her, which is actually hilarious. The forecast called for heavy snow so I made sure I left Baltimore super early to make it to the 1pm lunch date at Zento Sushi in Alexandria, VA. When I got there, I was the only customer and the waiter kept refilling my water. Ella's memory was probably hazy during this time and she claims she was only 10 minutes late but she was definitely 30 minutes late. Regardless, when the door opened, the wind and snow rushed in along with an aura of her beauty. She hung up her scarf and we introduced ourselves. We quickly bonded over our love of asian food, traveling, Disney, and being Filipinos. She was only mildly impressed that I knew the lyrics to almost all the classic Disney songs. After lunch, we walked over to a nearby Starbucks where we discussed our dreams, our careers and coveted destinations. Several hours passed so quickly and I offered to drop her off. Knowing that she was 30 minutes late, I figured she had to travel a bit of distance but we arrived at her place in about 4 minutes! In any case, I sent her off and told her that she had mesmerizing eyes that I needed to see again. The rest is history. Back then, I had no idea that this encounter would be the first of many that would lead up to our upcoming wedding!