“She challenges me every day in a loving and supportive way, and I am so grateful for a partner like Lisa to share my life with.”
Film Scans: Photovision
Hair/Makeup: Amanda Olson
White Skirt: Claire La Faye
“We met at a birthday party of a mutual friend from UC San Diego, where Lisa was attending undergrad. I didn’t know many people at the party, so like the loud extrovert that I am, I began striking up conversation with fellow party-goers. I was mid-conversation when I saw a beautiful dark haired girl walk across the room in front of me and nimbly hop over a person that was sitting on the ground. Throughout the night, I slowly gravitated towards this girl and eventually found a topic of conversation that we both had an avid interest in. I remember being so intrigued by her. She had the perfect balance of unintentional charm, absorbing eloquence, and natural beauty. The next week, I sent her a message, which started a stream of messages back and forth, each one going deeper and broader for the next couple of weeks. I learned that she enjoyed long talks over coffee, so I asked her out for long talks and coffee. We had an amazing first date. I was struck by how natural and intimate it felt to be together and immediately loved the candor and meaningfulness of our conversations. A few months later, after Lisa joined us for a family vacation, I asked her to be my girlfriend(yes/no/maybe?). She chose yes. Our relationship has been a growing experience, a support system and a fruitful adventure ever since. ”
“The weekend before our four-year anniversary, Joey lured me back to San Diego under the pretense of a company “award dinner”. While I had a vague sense that a proposal might be somewhere on the horizon, I had absolutely no idea that that day would be the day. Little did I know that as Joey and I brunched with my girlfriends, they were furtively texting each other and passing house keys under the breakfast table. Everyone I interacted with that day seemed cool as a cucumber. Little did I know that they were all engaging in an elaborate plan, right under my very nose.
That evening, as Joey drove us to the “award dinner”, I remember looking up from my phone and realizing we were suddenly at the Glider Port—a cliffside in La Jolla right next to UCSD. All of a sudden, Joey parked, and I looked at him with confusion. He grinned, got out of the car, and came around to my side. In rapid fire, I asked: “What are you doing? What are you doing? Where are we? Why are we here? What’s happening? What’s happening? What’s happening?” To which he replied with a sly smile: “This is exactly what you think it is”. I think I blacked out then.
Joey led me down a trail, laid out a blanket for us to sit on, and read me a note that he had written. I remember being so disoriented, and wanting so desperately to savor each and every moment, but felt completely incapable of doing so because of my shock. Joey was so patient that night, bidding my every request to slow down so that I could soak it all in. About an hour later, Joey took out the ring box, looked me in the eyes, told me he loved me (for the first time!), and asked me to marry him. The shock came back, and my immediate response was “Noooooo”, to which he laughed, because he knew better. Eventually, of course, I said “yes.” We celebrated that night with a small group of close friends and family and had so much fun recounting every single awkward and unplanned moment of the engagement. The gravity of reaching this milestone did not set in until the next morning when we woke up next to each other, feeling giddy and blessed, and so excited to spend the rest of our lives together. ”
