We met at ministry school in Pasadena, and the first thing Rianna ever remembers hearing about Tommy was one of their classmates describing him as "joyful and always smiling." Almost 3 years later, she still thinks it's an accurate description of him!

Tommy and Rianna's first date was filled with first-date jitters, but at the same time, it was so comfortable that it felt like they had already known each other for a long time. Before anything else, Tommy sat down to speak with Rianna's dad about taking her out, treating her well, and how her dad would hurt him if he hurt her ... (Actually, Rianna's not sure what they talked about but she imagines it went something like that!) Tommy took Rianna to eat sushi for dinner in Downtown LA, and then to get drinks at the revolving Bona Vista Lounge. They talked about all kinds of things - their families, friends, future goals and plans, and much more. And at the end of the night, it was pretty clear there'd be a second, and third, and fourth date!

Possibly one of the hardest but most forming seasons of our relationship so far was when Rianna was in Brasil for 6 months and we dated long distance. Jesus was so good to us through all the tears and FaceTime dates, sometimes until 3 or 4am Brasil time, and we learned to trust God and each other fully and how to communicate well. It wasn't easy, but it was most definitely worth it!

Tommy proposed on July 28, 2018. He took Rianna to Skyspace in Downtown LA, and had reserved a private area overlooking the skyscrapers on the 70th floor of the U.S. Bank Tower. Rianna still had no idea what was about to happen when they arrived (although she was suspicious because Tommy had gotten a haircut and bought new clothes that day, haha!!), and didn't understand why Tommy was hurrying her to the top, not letting her stop along the way to appreciate the views! When they reached the 70th floor, Rianna saw Tommy make eye-contact and give a head nod to one of the Skyspace staff members, and that's when she knew!! Tommy's friend from UC Riverside, Makito, was there photographing the proposal, and afterwards Tommy led Rianna to a surprise engagement party with all of their closest family and friends. It really was the BEST. DAY. EVER.