It was a beautiful day on the Big Island, Hawaii. I remember the day like it was yesterday - Tuesday, June 22nd (my 23rd birthday) - and I had convinced my family that I wanted to hike out to Green Sands. (Now, if only I had met Keala sooner, we could have gotten a ride with the locals and avoided that awful hike...) But we hiked out to Green Sands and enjoyed the crashing waves and the gorgeous landscape and then made the awful hike back. Before driving back to Kona, I wanted to stop at the Southern-most part of the US (South Point), because I had heard there was cliff jumping there... well, we walk to the point, take our photos, and start walking back when I notice this handsome stud of a man take a running leap off the 50+ foot cliff and my jaw just drops. Low and behold, that man was Keala Kimokeo Young and my world was about to turn upside down as I got swept off my feet like a real-life fairy tale.

Horse-back riding, cliff jumping, watching the sunset, eating Walmart sushi in the car in Kona because we drove back too late and everything was closed... the best first date imaginable

Don't ask how, but just 6 months later, after weekend trips and nightly Facetimes and long talks, I moved in with Keala in Tulare.

The photo is during a blizzard in Tahoe, when Keala's entire family came to visit during Christmas '21. The slopes (Heavenly) was a mess and driving was awful, but we went axe throwing in Heavenly Village... Also got snowed in and Keala's family had to stay a bit longer than expected

5 months of living together in bliss before we had to do distance again because I shipped off to PA school in Oregon. This was the beginning of countless weekend trips and making the most of our limited time together.

Pictured is one of Keala's trips to Portland, when we went to a Water Lantern Festival

Fast forward to March '23, to the trip to Tahoe that Keala formally asked my father for permission to ask me to marry him. Yes, he asked on a chairlift, man-to-man... I'm telling you, these things don't just happen in the real world. I think in the real world, the guys go to the garage and get a beer or sit down on the porch and talk about the future. Not while on a chairlift at a ski resort!

While in Hawaii for Keala's family reunion, Keala, his sister (Kylee), his cousin (Akela)/boyfriend (Makana) and I broke away for an "island tour", where we got in this off-road golf cart, went up a massive hill to one of Keala's favorite spots in the world (Mount Ha'au) where we climbed on top of a water tower and he got down on 1 knee and asked me to spend the rest of our lives together. We returned to the family reunion engaged, the live band (that Keala's uncle is a part of) played a song just for us and we got to spend the night in a beautiful mansion overlooking the ocean and enjoy a romantic sunrise in Honu'apo

Due to my career, and the extreme lengths it takes for medical providers to change their last name after graduating and obtaining the numerous licenses required to practice, Keala and I decided to legally get married before graduation. We planned this legal ceremony within 1 week, as we already had a trip planned to San Diego. It was at sunset at Whispering Sands Beach on New Year's Eve (Waltz day: 12/31/23).