On August 24th, 2018, Denise moved into her freshman dorm at San Diego State University. In the afternoon, Denise decided to stop by a welcome BBQ at the SDSU Catholic Newman Center, even though it was already almost over. That same day, Nathan was working with his friend Keoni in a Kona Ice truck at SDSU. On their break, they decided to stop by the Newman Center for a snack. Nathan was an active student at Newman since the year before (his freshman year). At the BBQ, Keoni ran into a girl that he knew from high school: Denise! Standing in the Newman parking lot, Denise asked Keoni why he was there, since he was a Stanford University student at the time. Keoni pointed out Nathan, who was inside Newman but visible through the doorway. Nathan said, “Hi!” and waved from inside. So, technically, that is how Nathan and Denise met. They didn’t have an actual conversation until about a week later, during a post-Mass lunch with a few others. Denise mentioned that she went to Cathedral Catholic High School, and Nathan said that his cousin Mia went there too.

From then on, Nathan and Denise gradually talked more and more at Newman. Both of them frequently went there for events and to just hang out. One of their first memories together was learning how to swing dance in the Newman backyard. They both tried to study at Newman, but they would usually end up talking to people. Nathan tried to learn how to play the guitar while Denise practiced playing the piano, both instruments being free to use there. Below is their first photo together, having lunch with friends at Olive Oil after Mass. They started to talk a lot more, and Nathan became the sophomore/commuter with a car to Denise, the freshman living on campus without one. Rides in Nathan’s car (even just from the library to Denise’s dorm) were the means for Nathan and Denise to get to know each other.

During Christmas break, Nathan and Denise hung out with each other and other San Diego locals. They started the spring semester closer than ever. At that point, Nathan and Denise had lil’ crushes on each other. They had a lot of mutual friends; together, they studied, ate, took little trips, went to Newman, drank boba, worked out… Summer came, and Nathan went on a trip to the Philippines. He messaged Denise every day that he was there. When he returned, they grew even closer, often hanging out with just each other. That summer, Nathan was also working at an internship, saving money for taking Denise on a date—hopefully the first of many.

On August 10th, 2019, Nathan and Denise carpooled to their friend Nick's pool party. After the party, Nathan and Denise planned to get boba at ShareTea on the way home. On the way, Denise asked Nathan to tell her a secret. Normally, Nathan would answer this question with “I don’t have any secrets.” However, this time, Nathan said, “I actually have one. But I’ll tell you after we get boba.” After they got the boba, they went to “the view” by Nathan’s parents’ house, and Nathan said to Denise, “I…I…I like you.” On August 24th (the weekend that Denise moved into her sophomore apartment), they finally went on their first date. Since Denise’s favorite food is Italian, Nathan found a restaurant in Little Italy (downtown San Diego) called Davanti Enoteca. After dinner, they had ice cream at Salt & Straw and listened to live music from a busker. Then, they took a long stroll, through Waterfront Park and alongside the San Diego Harbor. Denise appreciated how Nathan made things feel different, like they were more than just friends. So, they went on a second date on September 7th. They picked up food from Oi Asian Fusion and brought it to Coronado Beach for a picnic. Nathan asked Denise to be his girlfriend, and Denise said “yes!” They felt that they already knew each other very well after about a year of friendship, and they were ready to commit to each other. On the way home, they listened to “Lover” by Taylor Swift.

As Nathan and Denise approached their fourth anniversary of dating, both of them felt a nudge/pull towards engagement and marriage. The feeling came to them clearly in their individual prayer lives, and soon they could not think of anything else. Their new perspective did not come from the people around them or even themselves (with all of their imperfect ideas and plans). This was the voice of Love Himself, the One that has fully known and loved Nathan and Denise since they came to be. God was calling them to something better, more peaceful, and more joyful than they could have ever planned for themselves.

And so, after a trip to the Philippines and Japan with Denise’s family, Nathan bought a ring. He could not wait to propose to Denise, so he mustered up the courage to ask Denise’s parents for her hand in marriage. He stopped by their house after dropping Denise off at work, bringing cookies from The Cravory. They were very surprised and excited when Nathan asked them if he could marry Denise! Nathan then spoke to Denise’s sister Nicole, and she was super excited too.

A few days before the proposal, Nathan coordinated with Denise’s friend Steffy, since she was going to be visiting the weekend that he wanted to propose. Steffy and their friend Martha planned to go to dinner with Denise after Sunday afternoon Mass. Steffy and Martha said that they made a reservation at Peohe’s at 6pm. While Denise and Steffy were at Mass and driving, Nathan, Nicole, Connor (Nicole’s fiancé), Martha, and Simon (Nathan and Denise’s friend and photographer) were setting up the spot where Nathan would propose. The spot was on the beach by Centennial Park, with a view of downtown San Diego beyond the water. Once they got all set up, Martha waited by Peohe’s, and everyone else took their places. Denise and Steffy were running late to Coronado after Mass, so Martha pretended to request changing the reservation. When Denise and Steffy arrived, Martha informed them that the next available reservation was 6:45pm, so she suggested that they go on a walk while waiting. Little did Denise know (though she had suspicions) that they were leading her right to the spot where Nathan was waiting. Denise saw Nathan right away and felt nervous. Nathan ran up to meet her and led her to the proposal spot. There was a blanket (a gift from Nicole) with several items special to them and an iPad set up to take a video, surrounded by flowers planted into the sand. The sun was setting, and the water and skyscrapers were glistening. Nathan got down on one knee and asked her one of the most important questions of their lives. On April 7th, 2024, Divine Mercy Sunday, Nathan asked Denise, “Will you marry me?” and Denise said, “Yes!”

The next few months were mostly full of joy and excitement with each new milestone. Nathan and Denise loved celebrating their first “monthiversary” so much that they celebrated the second, the third, the fourth… They love finding reasons to celebrate and prioritizing quality time in their relationship, so to this day, they still make it a priority to go on a date on every monthiversary. On December 7th, 2024, they will go on their best monthiversary date thus far.

In their first year, Nathan and Denise also faced several hardships. Nathan’s grandpa, Pops Mando, passed away on November 21st, 2019. Denise and her family got into a big car accident on Thanksgiving Day. Denise’s aunt, Tita Bon, passed away on March 7th, 2020. That same month, the lockdown began for the COVID-19 pandemic. Nathan’s and Denise’s college experiences were drastically changed. Denise moved back into her parents’ house. It was like they were in a long-distance relationship for a couple of months due to the lockdown. Soon enough, their online dates transitioned to car and park dates.

Nathan and Denise’s second year together was still highly affected by the pandemic. They spent a lot of time at each other’s house and with each other’s family. It was their last year of studying together (for undergrad, at least!). Nathan graduated with his B.S in Computer Engineering in May 2021. In June, Denise’s family moved to Mira Mesa—just 7 minutes away from Nathan! They spent the summer working at internships, attending friends’ weddings, and just enjoying living so close to each other.

The third year required a new, challenging dynamic in their relationship. For the majority of it, Denise was in school, and Nathan was at work at DRS Daylight Solutions. Denise returned to in-person classes and activities, and Nathan started adjusting to post-grad life. Living 7 minutes apart sure helped! They attended a mix of events at Newman and other young adult groups. In May 2022, Denise graduated with her BSN and passed the NCLEX. In September, Nathan moved out of his parents’ house and into a house in Santee with new and old friends.

Nathan and Denise’s fourth year together was long awaited—the first year that they were both in the post-grad, adult world! They worked on big goals and made big decisions. Denise transitioned from her first job at Palomar Medical Center to one at Sharp Grossmont Hospital. She also enrolled at Orangetheory Fitness then convinced Nathan to! They found time to hang out on their work days, such as by a quick workout or meal together. On their off days, they left work at work and enjoyed themselves through nice meals (especially involving steak), happy hours, quality time with their families, quick stops at the beach, watching movies and live shows, young adult events at church, potlucks with friends, and babysitting Java (Denise’s Bernedoodle nephew!). They were Disney adults for a year (they went 7 times in 2023)!