So when I first saw her I thought she was super cute and I really wanted to ask her on a date, but being the super busy guy that I am, I struggled to find time to ask her out. I mentioned at one point that we should go see the Avengers movie, and she said that would be cool... but then time went by and we never found the opportunity to make it happen. I got her number at work (Thank you Edgewood) and invited her out with the co-workers to the bar. I finally got to spend some time with her and we had our first kiss (very romantic, I may add) while we were out.

The next day I thought I had made a fool of myself and I figured I had lost my golden chance to start dating her. Luckily enough, she asked about meeting up for dinner, and I knew this was my shot to make a good impression, despite my nerves. We talked all night about our interests, hobbies, likes/dislikes, our families, and more. By the night's end I knew this girl was absolutely amazing and I wanted us to start dating. Everything took off from there until almost 4 years later when I sneakily flew to Vegas to ask her family's blessing in asking her to marry me. I could not be more thankful for all the support and love they showed me. When Lisa said "I Do" it was all my dreams come true. So happy to be together for the rest of our lives!

I wish that I could say that our story began with eyes meeting across a crowded room, everything else fading away, and fireworks going off in the background... but that would be a TOTAL lie. Instead, the story begins when I, as a fairly new staff at Edgewood, was trailing an escalated client off campus as he was threatening to throw a brick at my face. As we got to the dog park next door, Steve was there with a few other clients from EW. He immediately assessed the situation and asked what I needed. I had no idea what to say but tried to send as many help me signals as I could. As I worked my fabulous intervention skills (calling 911), Steve maintained close proximity to ensure that I was okay while he continued to entertain his own group. I remember walking away from that situation thinking that he was a) such a great staff and b) such a great guy.

I'm sure he told you about the first night that we hung out outside of work so I'll jump past that part and focus on the first date. I was so excited and very nervous. How could I date a coworker? What if it doesn't work out? I was really finding my groove at work and I didn't want to leave if it got weird. However, I pushed all those questions aside and decided to go for it. I spent hours getting ready (not really but it makes this next part all the more dramatic) and was ready and waiting at 7pm when he was supposed to show up. And then he didn't. He had previously explained that he would be at a dance rehearsal for a surprise song/dance that he was doing for a wedding he was in that upcoming weekend so I didn't think too much of it at first. And then 30 minutes passed, 45 minutes passed. An hour later, I received a text that he was running late but on his way. When he showed up, he brought Moscato as an apology (I hate sweet wine). He then asked what I wanted to do. So just to recap: he was late, brought disgusting wine, and had NO plan. We ended up going to the Grove and then the bar next door (the world famous Lion's Pub). Despite the rough start, it was a great date. All the cheesiness that you would expect: easy conversation, great chemistry, the whole shebang.

From there, things just sort of flowed. We would talk at work when we had a spare minute and would continue to date outside of work. He asked me to be his girlfriend officially on August 14 (shout to Jodi for all the help!) and I said yes (obviously). And don't worry: the dates got much better: Alcatraz, Great America, bonfire at the beach, movies, dinners, and wine tasting,

After a few years, we talked abstractly about getting married and what that would mean. Before I knew it, we began to talk less abstractly and more specifically. He would not stop hounding me... If it were up to him, we would have been married forever ago :) In early 2016, he set up a fancy wine tour at Jordan Winery and I secretively thought, this is it. I got a manicure, made sure my makeup and hair looked extra great, and borrowed a dress from a friend. The tasting came and... nothing. No proposal. Nothing. WHOOPS I was wrong. I reset my mind and realized that he wanted to wait until after he graduated grad school, like he had said sometimes.

And then one Saturday we went for a drive to Monterey because I thought we were going to the Aquarium. When we turned into the Intercontinental, I thought he just wanted to valet park. Then we took the elevator upstairs and I walked in... rose petals were along the ground and a list of 100 reasons he loves me was printed out in a heart made of rose petals. I turned around and he was on his knee. I had NO IDEA it was coming and the only part I truly remember is the question: "Will you marry me?" Once the shock subsided, I said yes (clearly). I learned the story behind the ring (the diamond belonged to his great grandmother) and the tears started to flow. We made all the calls to our families and basked in our newly engaged status. As amazing as it was to know that we were engaged, the happiness was doubled when we learned just how excited our families were for us as well.

LONG STORY SHORT: We met. He chased me. We fell in love. I said yes.