I met Ian at UNR in our Mariachi Club around September 2021. Ian introduced himself to me as the President of Mariachi Lobos De Plata, and gave me his number in case I had any questions. We went to school together as acquaintances for about 4 months before he asked me out, the first time. I said I would love to, but was busy. At the time I had no idea he was asking me out, because I am that clueless. He asked me out the second time at the start of winter break, just around my birthday. I responded with, "maybe, it depends on my class schedule." However, I was already talking to another person, so I "ghosted" him. Ian asked me out for the third time in January of 2022 when I had stopped talking to the other person. Just like last time, I was nervous, and I said I was busy again. Why he didn't give up then I have no idea. He stopped asking me out after the third rejection, and instead would sit and talk with me whenever we saw each other. He listened to me talk, he tried getting me to play the bass(I still can't), he tried to get me to sing in Mariachi, and he started texting me more. He became my friend. Eventually we began to hangout enough that I learned how amazing he was and how much he made me smile. So in April of 2022, he asked me out one last time, and I finally picked a day to go out. That was the best night of my life. I definitely starved him, as we were supposed to go to dinner, but I said I wasn’t hungry. We spent the whole night talking in his car and taking turns picking songs the other person had not heard. Days prior to the date I told him I was listening to the new Coldplay album, and I learned that night he had listened to the whole album for me. I had found my best friend that night. Someone I could talk to freely, someone I felt safe with, and someone I could laugh with. I am excited to spend every day with him, and share every part of my life with him. I guess the fourth time's a charm.

Ever heard of ‘Third time's the charm’? Well, with me and Val, it was the fourth time's the charm. Val and I first met at UNR at the Lobos de Plata mariachi club meeting. She was definitely shy and didn’t want to come out of her shell. Little did she know I was immediately hooked on those deep brown eyes of hers (especially because we met during COVID times). After our Mariachi concert in the winter and 1 try of asking her out, some of my family members overheard Val and one of her friends talking about me, saying that I was ‘Super cute’ in her exact words. I tried again and she ghosted me (again). Me being the persistent guy that I am, I decided to ask her out 2 more times, or until she finally blocked my number, whichever came first. Finally, at time number 4, she finally picked a date where we could go out. Little did I know that when we said dinner, she definitely ‘wasn’t hungry’ and starved me on the first date. After 4 hours of listening to music, talking, and watching the city lights, our first date ended better that I ever thought. 4 days later I met her parents at a trumpet ensemble concert at UNR, where some random guy decided to introduce himself to them before I introduced myself, causing some major confusion for both of us (we definitely had that ‘are we seeing other people’ conversation right after). After that confusing night, we’ve been inseparable. If we weren’t together (finally getting food), we were talking on the phone, FaceTiming, or texting each other non-stop at all hours of the day. Being with Val has been a blessing, especially as my personal life took a hard turn in mid 2022. She’s been by my side, extremely supportive, and always rooting for me to be the best person I can be. Val is so much more than a partner, she is my best friend, she’s my tea time buddy, she’s the light that I get the pleasure of waking up next to every morning. I can say for sure that I am really looking forward to what the rest of our lives will look like after this major stepping stone.