How We Met
I owe it to my friend, Norika, for being my matchmaker (we’ve been friends since we were 11!)
Richard and I first met at the start of our 2nd year of college at UC San Diego. Norika ended up being physics lab partners with Richard. Norika told me that her lab partner lived in the same area of campus as we did, and because I had the same physics lecture with them, we could all walk to the lecture together the next morning.
Richard and Norika had lab Tuesday nights. I didn’t have any classes on Tuesdays, so I always cooked dinner for my apartment. Norika and Richard would be starving when they got back from the lab, so I started inviting Richard over to stay for dinner. We did physics homework together and bonded over shared tastes in music. In October, our college had a concert and my favorite band was playing. Richard was the only person I knew who also knew and liked them so we went together. He grabbed my hand to lead me through the crowd and sparks flew. Fast forward 10 years, and here we are!!
How They Asked
Because Richard is completing his pediatric residency in Oklahoma, our relationship has been long distance for a few years. He wasn’t able to come home for Christmas due to work but got a week off starting the Saturday after Christmas. After picking him up from the airport, we headed for Malibu. We had planned to get some clam chowder and fish tacos in Malibu, and then visit Point Dume because we heard that the view was beautiful. When we drove closer to the restaurant, it looked packed, so we skipped it and decided to go straight to Point Dume. The parking at Point Dume was also packed, so we parked down by the beach and called an Uber to take us back up. There were several trails but I let Richard decide which way to go.
As we went further out onto the cliff, I noticed Richard checking his phone a lot. Finally, when we were at one edge of the cliff, Richard told me he had a surprise for me and told me not to turn around until he told me to. At this point, I was thinking it’s either my Christmas present (because he hadn’t given it to me yet since he was working during Christmas), or he’s going to propose. After a while, nothing was happening so I called out, “Richard? Are you done yet??” No answer. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise so I just kept waiting and looking out at the amazing view.
Finally, Richard tells me to turn around and suddenly I’m holding the cutest little orange kitten. I’m completely in shock and I start crying at this point. Richard asks, “What do you think of his name?” As I look to see a heart-shaped tag on his collar with “MARRY ME” engraved on it, Richard gets down on one knee and asks me to marry him.
AND THEN, my cousin, Sabrina, and her husband, Robbie, come out of nowhere with their DSLR cameras…They were hiding the ENTIRE time taking photos of us! They actually drove right by us on the beach while Richard and I were waiting for our Uber…and I didn’t even notice them! Sabrina and Robbie were carrying the kitten with them in a cat backpack and while I was waiting for Richard to surprise me, he was running up to where they were hiding, grabbing the kitten, and running back down. I also found out that my brother helped Richard pick out my new kitten, brought it back to his apartment in Los Angeles, and then Sabrina and Robbie picked up the kitten from him!
