Freddy and I first met through our two best friends, Amalia and Vince. They were (and are still!) dating which means, as the loyal best friends Freddy and I are, we would bump into each other at the occasional house party on 444 Division in East Lansing where Freddy and his best friend were living. I had an immediate infatuation but was dating someone else at the time. It wasn't until a year later, after we had graduated, when Freddy ended up returning to MSU to see Vince who was visiting from Seattle. I was in my internship year of Teaching and got a call from Amalia begging me to come out with them. Her incentive: Freddy was going to be there. I quickly changed my plans (because at this time I was single and ready to mingle...with Freddy) and met them out. I remember feeling so incredibly nervous, shy, and giddy which means I could barely muster up enough courage to even say hi. It took several drinks and our best friends forcefully pushing us together in the midst of a sweaty, drunken dance floor at the Black Rose (now closed) for us to have our first dance and kiss. We've been together ever since!

The proposal was shared with Sofia, Pancho, Amalia and Vince. Freddy and I went to Seattle to visit everyone and were excited to soak up all that Seattle has to offer. We were looking forward to delicious food, fun bars, and beautiful hikes! It was a Saturday morning when we all got up to hike Annette Lake. As two non-Seattle residents, the hike was grueling, but ask any of the other 4 and it was "one of the easier hikes Seattle has to offer..." When we got to the clearing, I was simply thankful for still being alive, but the view was one that could take your breath away (on top of the 4.5 miles we walked on an incline to get there). Thankful to have found a spot to sit and rest, I immediately began taking off my shoes and socks to walk to a log in the water that looked like the perfect spot to have a snack on. At this point, it was game time. Freddy's sister stalled time by making me "pose" for some pictures on the log while Freddy frantically retrieved the ring from his backpack. As he came up from behind me, he kissed my neck and began talking. All I remember thinking/saying is: "no you're not!" I truly didn't believe it was happening until he opened the box with the ring. Tears were shed, champagne was popped, and the rest is history ;)