Bautistas are known for being very cheesy. So, weddings, proposals, and grand gestures of affection are taken very seriously. I've always thought of proposing while serenading Amanda with my brothers in a form of a harana (Tagalog for serenade). It took about two years to plan. Multiple song changes, and secret band practices happened quite frequently. On our 5th anniversary (09/15/20), we went to Lassen National Park, with the (my) sole purpose of returning home as an engaged couple.

At the campground just before dinner, there was an opportunity when everyone was just sitting down and doing nothing. I then gave the signal to Francis to start playing Harana, a popular Filipino song about a guy serenading a girl with his friends to gain her affection. That was just the introduction though. It was to give everyone involved a heads up that the next song is "Dame Time" (our code word for the proposal). I proposed to Amanda while we were serenading her with Thomas Rhett's Die a Happy Man. Eventually, she said "Yes". After all this planning, I forgot one simple, yet very important detail... which hand the ring goes into!

Registry