Sarah and I met at LADWP, working under the same supervisor. She was recently hired full time and I was a student intern. We would occasionally take our morning breaks together, and she didn’t realize that the student intern had a crush on her. We worked together for about a year and I patiently waited until my internship ended to ask her out for dinner. She was not sure if this was a date, so she texted me the following day to confirm “…is this a date?” and I happily replied “yes!”. For our first date, I took her to Yard House in Long Beach at Shoreline Village. We got to know each other over dinner and when she ordered a second beer… I knew she was the one.

Rafael and I were on vacation in Puerto Vallarta to celebrate our three year anniversary of dating. On the third night of our trip, Rafael planned a celebratory dinner on the beach, overlooking the ocean at sunset; it was so romantic and beautiful! As we were waiting for our food, Rafael said, “Wow, I can’t believe it has been three years. I’m going to have to outdo myself for our four year anniversary!”. Rafael could see the disappointment in my face as I thought to myself “wow, I have to wait another year to get engaged….” Some time went by, then Rafael grabbed my hand and said the kindest words, got down on one knee and asked, “will you marry me?” I was totally surprised and shocked, but no doubt it was an absolute “YES!!”