We had our first date at Ding Tea, now known as Milk Tea, in North Austin for some boba (Daniela’s favorite)! We hit it off playing Connect Four. Derek knew Daniela was the one when she beat him in speed Connect Four and when she accidentally went inside the men’s restroom and couldn’t stop laughing about it.

We officially became a couple on May 3rd, 2023, after a bunch of great dates, which featured our shared love of hikes, a trip to the movies, an arcade bar, and more!

Fast forward to 2024, which was a huge year for us! During the summer, we traveled to each other’s homelands—the exotic state of Indiana (lol) and Peru! Then, on December 14th, we got engaged! The proposal needed to be a surprise, which ended up being quite the challenge for Derek. After weeks of coordination with Daniela’s friends (shoutout to Hannah & Faith), the engagement went beautifully, and Daniela didn’t say no!!

Now, here we are, trying to figure out how to get married!! Thanks for reading. :)
Daniela & Derek