We met online, of all places, at the height of the pandemic. Neither one of us was expecting anything, nor were we ready for the wild ride life was about to throw at us. We exchanged numbers and met at Urth Cafe in Orange. Ahson wore a silly shirt and ordered a veggie pizza while I tried to put away my anxiety from meeting a stranger at a café (he could have been a serial killer or gotten me sick with the virus). It did not take long to fall hard for each and be there for one another. In the following months we dealt with death, uncertainty, loneliness, and immense fear. It was in the dark times together that we realized we have something special. We brought light and life into each other's lives in a time that was dreadfully scary for everyone on earth. Suddenly, the world was not so bad and we started collecting dreams of a future together, this wedding being one of them. With that being said, we would like to celebrate and thank all of our friends and family that have been there for us in those difficult times. We couldn't have done it without your kindness, support, and undeniable love for our relationship. Cheers!

On a trip back home from Portland, I invited Miriam on a date to Laguna Beach. She initially refused because she was tired from working with patients all day. She quickly changed her mind when I told her I would take her to our favorite frozen yogurt place. On our walk across the beach I handed her a card and asked her to read it. In it, I wrote how I felt about her, the last sentence being "will you marry me." When she looked up from the card I was already down on one knee. She immediately said yes and the rest is history!