We met in graduate school at the Hopkins Nanjing Center, the China campus of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.


We were in the same friend group and ended up spending a lot of time together while we hung out with everyone on the weekends, drinking soju and yakult, going to Revolution and K-TV, playing video games, board games, and even some Monster of the Week!


We ended up sitting next to each other in a bunch of classes, which meant we got to spend a lot of quality time together.


A typical class together consisted of Nick coming in 10 minutes late with a coffee, which Morgan would proceed to drink (even though she doesn't like coffee?), while repeatedly nudging Nick because he would fall asleep in class.

Eventually, we started dating in China. Nick would visit Morgan's single in the dorms. We would go out and get dinner, pull all-nighters writing essays, and do classwork.

After the year ended, we went to Thailand with a few of our friends. Despite Nick forgetting the bag he packed for the trip, and getting food poisoning at a night market, we had a blast.

Nick was already checking Morgan's most important box: He would go anywhere with her <3

We were long-distance for (what felt like) the longest time. Morgan would get up as Nick was getting ready for bed. He would get up as she was having dinner. He would get ready to go to class as she began to brush her teeth for the night.

We spent a lot of time watching movies together, trying to hit play on our own computers at the same time. He would go visit her in Nanjing during winter break and she would come to DC to visit during her spring break.

Then, on January 8th, the New York Times announced "Strange Pneumonia" in Wuhan.

COVID is not the main character of this story, but it loomed in the background of many scenes.

We decided to move back home to be closer to our families during the worst part. It was a hard decision to leave DC, because we knew that DC would be an important place for us to end up. We lived with each others' parents for almost two years. Nick graduated at home in Rowland Heights while Morgan graduated in the family bookstore in Phoenix. We got our first post-graduate jobs during COVID. We worked in living rooms, dining rooms, office conference tables, and home office spaces alongside loving parents, friends, and family. We spent evenings eating together and watching movies. For everything that COVID destroyed, for us, it also created lasting memories and brought our families closer to each other.

Eventually, a long eventually, things started to stabilize. The US, and the rest of the world, was resolved to move on. It had been a long and arduous year. While Nick's job was supportive of their 100% remote work, Morgan's job requested everyone come back to the office.

Morgan braved the 2-hour-each-way Los Angeles commute to the office. Eventually, that was too much and we needed to move.

After visiting and searching a handful of apartments, we found Park La Brea, in Mid-City Los Angeles. We packed everything up from Los Angeles and Phoenix. The move involved both sets of parents. Most memorable, was driving our stuff from Phoenix to Los Angeles, with Morgan's dad in tow. Two cars stuffed full of our life's belongings, caravanning across the Sonoran desert.

Our first stop was not in fact the apartment, but an animal shelter, where we adopted two kittens. Two kittens heavier, we made it to our apartment and unloaded everything. We made sure they were settled in and then went to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl.

We stayed in that apartment for 2 years.

In the weeks leading up to September 2023, Morgan was planning an exciting 30th birthday trip to Cozumel, Mexico. A few friends would join us. On the day we flew to Mexico, Morgan was busy working - so she did not notice Nick sneaking away from the group.

Unbeknownst to her, Nick made a handful of phone calls to some important parent figures. Morgan's mom Sandy already knew what was to happen - so that phone call was short. Lee and Mike, Morgan's aunt and uncle, also gave their blessing. KT, Sammi's mom, was elated. Morgan's dad was surprised - Nick called to ask for Paul's blessing (not to ask for permission because that would make Morgan mad). While Paul played it extremely cool on the phone with Nick, history will recall that Paul immediately panic called Sandy after getting off of the phone.

One thing that Paul said on the phone was how Morgan would be completely surprised. About six months ago, Morgan and Nick got into an argument in Fort Wayne, Indiana about how finances explained the lack of a proposal. What Morgan did not know, was that 9 months ago, Nick had already purchased their engagement ring.

We all arrived at Cozumel, ready to celebrate Morgan's birthday.

Nick remembers anxiously holding the ring box.

He also remembers absent-mindedly asking Morgan to get something from his bag, only to leap up and intercept her.

The original plan was to propose on Saturday, celebrate on Sunday, and then go home on Monday so Nick could go to a work conference in DC. As they say, mice and men.

Nick forgot that there was a fourth step. The hotel had a beautiful infinity pool, with a section in the middle that was separated from the water. Most of the guests knew that Nick had a proposal planned and were waiting with Morgan in that carved out section as Nick got ready. He made his approach and stepped out onto thin air, falling down and twisting his ankle (he still remembers the pop). One of the guests, Danny, thought that it was on purpose - until Nick didn't get back up.

Nick would spend the next day nursing his sprained ankle. Everyone else went on the day's excursion.

That night, when everyone came back, Sammi made sure that Morgan would be ready for pictures. Morgan was now a woman on a mission: to take photos with her best friend.

Down by the pool, Nick was hobbling about, looking for a good spot for the proposal. There were too many people milling about by the pool, and a dj was spinning songs at the gazebo. He remembered that there was a little porch overlooking the ocean and the pool by the lobby, a private space that would be perfect.

Morgan remembers rushing about looking for Sammi, trying to take pictures with her best friend. Sammi was no where to be found: she was actually hiding in her room with Erik in order to get photos of the proposal. Eventually, Morgan made her way downstairs - just in time to catch Nick staggering up the stairs towards the patio. Exasperated, she asked "Where are you going? Where is everyone?" Nick coaxed her to join him on the porch.

Morgan and Nick looked out at the ocean. He mentioned how great the last few years had been together. She agreed. Anxious to continue looking for Sammi, Morgan began to turn back towards the hotel.

Nick reached out to grab her hand.

He got down on one knee.

She gasped.

He asked her, "We've already had all of these great adventures, how about one more?"

Morgan does not remember casting everything she was holding in her arms aside, nor does she remember the loud clatter of Nick's water bottle hitting the floor.

Sammi, on the other hand, does.

That night, our group snuck out to the pool after hours, and celebrated drinking both the cheapest tequila (some of the group accidentally bought souvenir tequila at a restaurant, complete with a photo of them slapped on the bottle) and extremely expensive tequila (that some of them bought on the excursion that Nick didn't go on). We celebrated and drank out of Love Is Blind gold glasses that Erik bought for everyone.