Three and a half years ago Brad and I’s story began at the finest establishment in Newport Beach, Malarky’s Irish Pub. I was working long hours as a night shift nurse, and Brad was spending his days convincing doctors that the orthopedic implants he was selling were by far the best available. In this pre-COVID world, we were both spending our free time partying with friends in our little beach town, although Brad’s partying probably far surpassed mine since he was professionally trained at ASU “Can I get a Sig EPIC?!”. This particular night, I had no desire to go out. I was exhausted from working all night and had no Halloween costume, however, my roommates would not take no for an answer and quickly helped me throw on some cheetah print. As they dragged me through the front door, my eyes landed on what appeared to be a professional basketball player but wound up just being a very handsome guy who also happened to be 6 foot 5. I can't totally remember how we got to talking (sorry Mom & Dad) but we had an instant connection, which if you’ve ever been to Malarky’s you know that’s hard to do since you can’t actually hear anything that anyone is saying. 3 very long days later Brad finally texted me back and the rest is history. It took no time at all for Brad to become my favorite person. He was kind, genuine, funny, and loved me, his family, friends, and strangers all the same. Over the past few years, our relationship has been tested many times as we navigated a pandemic and an unsure future, but with nine moves and two career changes later, I would not change a single thing about where our journey has taken us. The joy of our lives is often balanced with business and stress, but having him by my side makes all those life mountains and valleys better. We made it y’all!

The big day had finally arrived! After secretly designing and hiding Nicole’s engagement ring for over 6 weeks, it was now stuffed in a small duffle bag for a 33-mile voyage across the Pacific Ocean. Catalina Island has always held a special place in our hearts. We shared many great days, laughs, and a lot of adult beverages on the island together. And most importantly, it was the location where I first told Nicole I loved her in June of 2020. So, when the opportunity came to propose, I knew Catalina was the perfect place. Especially since everyone told me I “dropped the ball” by not asking Nicole to marry me on our recent trip to Alaska just a couple of months prior…. After a smooth ride to Catalina, a fun day in the sun, and a few shots of Tito’s vodka, it was FINALLY time for the proposal. At this point, Nicole was upstairs STILL getting ready for the “fake family photo shoot”, and completely clueless on what was about to take place in the next 15mins. Meanwhile, I was spending my time frantically pacing back and forth downstairs in the Airbnb kitchen rehearsing what I was going to say when the time came. We made our way to the beach, and I just remembered thinking every step I take brings me closer and closer to a future with the person I love the most. Eventually, I took her hand and led her away from the group, I started with “From the moment I met you at Malarkys….” And then blacked out. All that practice and mirror talk just to have my words fumbled and jumbled but wouldn’t trade that moment for anything in the world….. SHE SAID YES!! It was a beautiful weekend spent with both our families and friends. Catalina will always be a favorite place that we can share forever.