We're Doing It Our Way!

I will always remember our first messages to each other when we matched on Bumble, Dec 2nd, 2022. After pretty quickly realizing there was a connection, we began talking regularly in a way that really built a strong foundation of understanding each other. It was very easy to be open with Shanaya and I felt like I could be myself. We spent some time planning out what our first date would be and seeing as neither of us actually had plans, we went to the movies on Christmas Eve. One of my favorite memories is standing in front of the movie theater and first seeing Shanaya walk toward me and the sheer excitement I had to be spending time with her. After the movie, we sat for hours talking and enjoying in person the feelings we had built up for each other over the past few weeks. It simply felt right and we knew there was something special. Meeting Shanaya changed my life and will always be the best thing that's ever happened to me.

The day I proposed to Shanaya was the happiest day of my life. As our relationship had progressed, we began discussing the reality that even though we were early on in our journey, we knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. The confidence in knowing so strongly that Shanaya was the one for me was an incredible feeling. The first time we walked into a store to look at rings brought such joy and excitement to both of us. After asking her father Terence for his blessing, I began plans with Shanaya's family and best friend to be with us as a surprise on the special day and I couldn't be more grateful to them for helping to make it the beautiful moment that it was. The morning of the proposal felt like a blur. We had "plans" to go to a beach restaurant for a family brunch and when first arriving to the crowds of a SoCal beach parking lot on a summer weekend morning, it felt like I MIGHT have picked the wrong spot for this to happen. We made our way toward the beach under the guise of finding a spot for a family picture and I'll never forget the moment Shanaya put her feet in the warm sand, she took a deep breath and said "this is exactly what I needed today". As if that was a signal to the universe, the crowd parted right where we needed to be for her surprise guests to see the proposal and come running down the beach to share in the moment. The overwhelming feeling of love and happiness we experienced is something I will carry with me forever. I'm looking forward to a lifetime of beautiful moments with Shanaya and this one will always have a special place in my heart. See you in Long Beach!