Steve and I first met at Eastern Oregon University in 2011. After many years, we reconnected and have been inseparable ever since. Steve used to live in Hermiston, Oregon and I live in Boise, Idaho, but we took turns almost every weekend driving back and forth (510 miles round trip!) At the beginning of our relationship, Steve and I shared our love of adventures and making memories. In fact, on one of our earlier trips, we spontaneously bought tickets to a rave concert in Boise. Clearly, we had no clue what we were in store for because we came out covered in paint - it was apparently a paint rave concert! We have traveled to Bend, OR., Hood River, OR., Portland, OR., Leavenworth, WA., Salt Lake, UT., Los Angeles, CA (twice)., Las Vegas, NV., and finally our most recent trip, El Salvador and Guatemala where we were engaged. All the while making beautiful memories and enjoying our travels together. Our newest and best adventure yet is raising our daughter, Gianina Velasquez!

Steve and my mother were in cahoots a week before we all left for Central America to visit El Salvador and Guatemala. Steve had asked my mom to carry the ring with her in fear that I would find it in his luggage. We went to El Salvador first to stay at a resort and just unwind. Going to Guatemala was where we were having a family reunion, with the highlight of seeing Lake Atitlan. Once my whole family had arrived at the hotel, my mom let all the adults know the plan and Steve asked my cousins to help pick a spot to propose. The day we get to the lake, I am greeted by my cousins (first time meeting them) and they asked me to go with them to grab something at a nearby store. I said yes, and asked for Steve to come with me, however my cousin had already locked my arm in hers, and off we went. We eventually make our way back to the dock, where everyone was just arriving. Steve pulls me aside and asks if I want to go walk down the dock and take some pictures. We get to the end of the dock and Steve turns me to look at him and asks if I knew that I love him and I said yes, and he gets down on one knee and proposes to me. Once I say yes, I hear a loud cheer at the other end of the dock and realize that my family witnessed this and it means a lot to me that he did it with my family present. We were engaged on July 5th, 2019. We can't wait to share our special day with all our loved ones! :)