Date during a global pandemic? That sounds like something I never thought I'd try, yet in May 2020, I did just that. Shortly after, I met Steven, whose first message to me was about Harry Potter (although we soon found out we were in different houses). After lengthy conversations about Harry Potter and our large families, we decided to do what felt like the strangest thing in the world and had our first date on Zoom. Even though we were strangers, we talked for over 2 hours. Conversations kept flowing easily between us, and we soon had our first picnic on Mission Bay. One picnic turned into many picnics, and we quickly realized how much we loved spending time together. From movie nights to trying the best coffee shops around to ordering our favorite takeout food and more walks along Mission Bay, we knew we had something special. We went on adventures to Joshua Tree, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Big Bear, Hawaii, and Lake Tahoe, filled with many special memories (and amazing photos too!). Then, on July 27, 2022, we grew our little family by adopting our adorable corgi Kodak. I knew that our lives would be changing with the addition of a dog, but our lives changed even greater the next day. On July 28, 2022, on our second trip to Joshua Tree for what I thought was a photography trip, Steven got down on one knee underneath the Milky Way and in front of the same tree he photographed on our first trip. Steven is my best friend, the most loving and compassionate person I've ever met. I consider myself the luckiest person in the world that I get to spend the rest of my life with Steven, and I can't wait to marry him!

It was a crisp May evening. Steven, a 28 year old bachelor, was living in his own apartment. He had a great job and was living in a city that was new to him. He was independent and sophisticated, and he had more time on his hands than he knew what to do with due to a global pandemic. He thought he had everything he needed to be content and happy. Then a simple Zoom meeting, during a time when Zoom meetings ruled the world, changed everything. You see, during that Zoom Steven met a girl. But not just any girl. The one...that would change his life. Now you are probably asking yourself how could a Zoom change someone? How could you meet someone via Zoom and have a connection? REAL connections are made in person. That's what Steven thought. That night when he opened his computer and logged onto Zoom, he embarked on his first virtual date. That's all it took. Insert Kelly, an independent, sophisticated, and BEAUTIFUL lady. Hours passed, conversations passed, and at one point Steven thought to himself "This would be wild if this is how I meet my future wife." But of course he could not tell Kelly that, he was too nervous trying to impress her, and after all it was only the first date. One Zoom led to another Zoom which led to a picnic which led to adventures which led to a kiss. A simple kiss. That is when Steven realized that in reality he was not an independent man. He was not a sophisticated man. He didn't want a bachelor life with all the time on his hands. He wanted her. She made him realize everything they could be when they were together. He found himself being a better man, being a better boyfriend, being a better adult, being the best version of himself all because she deserves the best. When someone ignites that passion inside you, makes you better, makes you smarter, makes you enjoy life to the fullest with all its ups and downs, you DO NOT let that person go. When you find someone that makes you want nothing more than to love them and make them happy, then you know you have something special. That is my Kelly, that is how we met. Not at a bar, or fancy restaurant. But in a Zoom. A simple Zoom on a crisp May evening.

Bark! Bark bark bark, bark bark bark bark. Bark bark bark bark. Bark bark!