It all began in 2013, when Hillary and Zack were both stuck in terrible retail jobs at Macy’s in Capitola. Hillary worked downstairs in cosmetics, and Zack worked upstairs in housewares. They had never interacted—until one slow weekday evening during a closing shift.

As closing time approached, Zack was standing at the register across from the escalator when Hillary slid a fragrance test strip across the counter toward him. She then turned and walked away briskly without even a word. Puzzled, Zack picked up the small strip and flipped it over. On the back was a handwritten note:

"If you were a Transformer, you’d be Optimus Fine. I’m awkward. Coffee?"

…followed by her phone number.

Surprised, but charmed, Zack tucked the note into his dress shirt pocket and finished his shift.

Later, after closing, they met outside Macy’s. Hillary was perched on the edge of a planter along the building, and Zack approached, said hello, and offered a terrible joke to break the ice. Then he complimented her cheesy pick-up line, noting how much better hers was than his. Finally, he asked if she still wanted to get coffee. She agreed, and they walked together across the parking lot to the nearby Starbucks.

They found a cozy spot and sipped their drinks while getting to know each other. A few hours passed as they laughed and talked, slowly building more and more of a connection. One thing was immediately clear: their goofy, semi-awkward, but charming personalities resonated with each other.

Over the next decade (and then some) together, they made new friends, travelled to far-off places, lived together in several rundown shoeboxes within Santa Cruz county, and adopted the 3 cutest cats in the entire world (literally).

Shortly after their 11th anniversary, Hillary and Zack had just finished dinner and a short walk around the neighborhood on a cold Tuesday evening. They removed their large coats, got into their PJs, and sat on the couch. Zack then asked Hillary if she wanted to open a gift that he had for her. Hillary agreed and Zack got up and made his way to the kitchen, where the gift was sitting within a non-descript FedEx box on the counter.

Zack hands Hillary the FedEx box and she begins to open it. All she finds inside is a small piece of paper folded in half. Befuddled, she opens the note and to find a handwritten message that says:

“If you were the last air bender, you’d be Avatar Dang. I’m awkward, too. Marry me?”

…followed by his phone number. Hillary immediately began to cry.

In between sobs, when she finally looks up from the note, she finds Zack down on one knee holding the ring.

Zack asks, “will you marry me?”, to which Hillary replies, “are you sure we aren’t rushing things?”

Zack, chuckling awkwardly, replies, “what?! Is that a ‘yes’? You’re killing me!”

Hillary, still crying, finally says, “yes, of course.” and holds out her hand to have Zack place the ring upon her finger. They hugged, kissed, and celebrated their engagement with gin and tonics, while Hillary admired her new ring.

Since then, they’ve been knee-deep planning their wedding and, amid all the cake tastings, dress shopping, vendor consultations, and so forth, they’re beyond excited to start this next chapter of their lives.

We cannot wait to celebrate with our family and closest friends this spring. Thank you all for being a part of our story.