How We Met
2012: Our story began at the University of Florida. Billy joined an Asian cultural interest fraternity in Spring 2012 and I was involved in the Vietnamese Student Organization. Both of our circles were part of the Asian American Student Union and we officially met when we were both invited to play on an intramural volleyball team with mutual friends. We ended up playing multiple seasons together and became close friends.
2013: After a little over a year of being friends, Billy finally asked me out and we went to the fair for our first date. He showed off his carnival game skills and won me a stuffed penguin. Billy made it official when he asked me to be his girlfriend in October of 2013.
2017: We had been doing long distance – between school and work constraints – for the past few years. We finally were in the same place at the same time when I made the 1,000 miles move to join Billy in Chicago.
2018: We made our next big move in June of 2018 when we moved to Colorado. We did the “Rado” thing and adopted our fur baby Luna who became an integral part of our lives and an essential hiking buddy.
How They Asked
Billy had been planning a proposal hike for weeks. We had been wanting to hike the Royal Arch trail, but the weather was not cooperating. Finally, the moment presented itself unexpectedly. It was a Friday and the sky was clear and the sun was shining. I was getting off work and texting Billy about how beautiful it was outside and how it was such a great day. He had to take advantage of this opportunity and decided that he’d propose that afternoon. He left work, got home and packed the hiking bags (including a little red ring box), and as soon as Luna (our fur baby) and I came back from the dog park, we got in the car and drove over to Boulder.
We finally made it up to the Royal Arch and sat and enjoyed the view. Billy doesn’t typically care to spend too much time at the top of a hike. When he suggested we stay a little longer I didn’t question it since this hike was a little more rigorous. I figured he wanted to rest more and had no idea that he was buying time.
Before we headed back down the trail we stopped to get a picture under the arch. Billy asked a guy nearby to take our picture (and told him he was about to propose so he took a bunch of shots). He walked back up to me and then after a couple of snaps, he pulled me to turn to him and got down on one knee. “I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?” Of course, I said “YES.”
