We're finally getting married!

Oh boy, how we met? That’s a novel. Choices, decisions, and outcomes. In my world of engineering these are actions and reactions. Simple stuff like Newton’s 3rd Law – “For every action, comes an equal and opposite reaction.” Action – take Social Dance class. This one action. This one choice. This one decision – spurred on by a combination of my past, present, and future selves. The lessons I learned (both good and bad), my goal to be better through continuous learning, and the hope of making a better future for myself. All of these resulted in pointing me to this one decision. An Engineering graduate student taking a social dance class. A decision that I would have previously laughed at, one in which my younger self would never imagine being true. But what do I know about what is true and what is fact? I believed in Newton’s 3rd Law for everything until this point. For there are many things that cannot be defined by physical laws. The impact of this simple action on my life changed everything. That action led to one perfectly unequal reaction. Reaction – In dance class, a girl walks up to me and asks: “Hey, do you have a dance partner yet?” I shake my head no. She then proceeds to say: “We should be partners, let me give you my number!” She gave me her number and with this big beautiful white smile she said, “I’m Ilyssa.”

It had to be grand and it had to be a surprise, those things I was sure of. I spent days figuring out how to make the day extra special and specifically suited for Ilyssa. It had to be the perfect ring and the perfect place with her family. Perfect ring, check! Then made it better by making a Beauty and the Beast ring box. Then made it best by making that ring box use LEDs to light up the ring and flower. Then made it the bestest by having the petals of the flower the words I would say to her that day. Sweeeeeet.. Now for a sunrise at Cypress Tree Tunnel just north of San Francisco. Perfect place and time, check! The day of the proposal, we woke up extremely early (her family woke in secret) to drive the couple hours to our spot. We get there and we take our pictures and everything is great. I start my speech, “It’s almost 2016...” Until I get a text from her family: “we are lost.” WHAT?! I nearly freak-out trying to help however I can. Few minutes later, another text: “almost there!” WHEW! So I start my walk down the tunnel with Ilyssa in hand again, “It’s almost 2016…” then interrupted by text: “Mama Lola needed to go to the bathroom, won’t be there for another 10 mins” GAHH! I quickly change the subject and take more pictures with Darwin. Another text: “we’re here.” “So Ilyssa, it’s almost 2016…” we walk down some more, I get down on one knee – “Ilyssa, will you do me the honor of marrying me?” The best description of Ilyssa at this point would be a WATERFALL OF TEARS.