I never know exactly where to start when I’m asked how we met. Do I start at the very beginning and mention the VERY bad first impression that Young made? Or do I start at the now infamous night at the Pourhouse? A bar that we had to go to because our first bar of choice wouldn’t let Young in because he was wearing his J.Crew camo pants. This was the night Young and I exchanged phone numbers. This was also the night I learned that Young’s name was in fact Young and not “Jung.” Or is it better to jump right to our first date? The first date where Young (NOT Jung) didn’t know it was actually a date. At this point, a few months had passed since our Pourhouse night and we were in a groove of taking mid-day day work breaks to meet up for either coffee or ice cream. Our work offices were right next door to each other but were connected by the “Skyway.” (For those not familiar with Minneapolis, the Skyway is basically a hamster tunnel for humans used to walk all around downtown without having to go outside because, well, winter.) And while I loved our coffee and ice-cream breaks, I wanted to take it a step further, so I suggested happy hour one Friday. On that said Friday, I received a text from Young asking if I wanted to dinner instead! My immediate thought was, “A DATE!” I only had the nerve to ask him to happy hour, but he was asking me to dinner! He suggested a Vietnamese restaurant, Pho 79, which was a nerve-wracking first for me, and he arrived a little late although I have since made up for that in my own tardiness so we’re even now. It was a magical first date that led to drinks across the street and I couldn’t have been happier. I quickly decided that he was the one. I wasn’t fazed in the slightest when he would tell me that he wasn’t looking for a girlfriend. My strategy was to just let him think and say that because I ultimately knew that I would marry him. He just didn’t know that I knew. Until he knew it too.

Armed with the ring and the blessing of Allison's parents in the Spring of 2019, I was racking my brain as to how I was going to propose in a meaningful and romantic way. Once we knew when we were heading back to Allison's hometown for their annual Lake Family Weekend, the plan started to take shape. That plan crystallized once we received news that my brother's family and my mom would be moving to Denver in late August. Knowing I wanted to propose here in Minneapolis, where our relationship began and continues to grow, and that I wanted my family there to celebrate after, I just had to do it on July 20th. As for location, I immediately went to where we had our first date, but quickly realized that a somewhat dingy, hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restaurant that self admittedly wasn’t a good first date place (in my defense, I didn’t know it was a date) wouldn’t do. I then started thinking about our favorite summer activities here which all centered around being outside. It was then that I landed on Minnehaha Falls. As we got closer to the date I got more and more nervous. I had coordinated with my family and Eric and Caitlin Elgin to meet us at the restaurant by the falls after the proposal to celebrate. On July 20th, she suspects nothing; however, a huge issue had come up: the weather. It was raining cats and dogs. I calmly suggested that we postpone the hike to the next day while frantically coordinating with everyone and trying to play it cool. Sunday, July 21st comes and it is a beautiful day. We make it out there and it is BUSY, like usual, right near the waterfall. We both don’t like the attention of strangers, so I knew I would have to find a more private place to do it. Meanwhile my heart is beating through my ears. We continue walking and find a quiet path that leads us to a spot overlooking the river downstream, I know that this is the place. With the ring in my pocket, I turn around and got down on one knee. Ecstatic to be marrying the woman of my dreams!