After 2nd grade, Dale moved to Oklahoma after his parents found better work out of California. We did not see eachother again until 2022, when Dale got a job at a local pizza joint that I had been working at for 2 years already. We reconnected and found a deep connection we’d been missing for 10 years. After getting out of a tough relationship in 2023, Dale offered a shoulder to cry on and provided the comfort I needed. In July of 2023 Dale asked me out on a date and the rest is history.

Our favorite memory is the day we got engaged. We both had school the first half of the day and needed to relax a little. Dale suggested we go to the beach and watch the sunset, since I love the beach so much. He drove us down to Newport Beach just before sunset. We stood on the sand, he put his phone on a bench nearby to “take pictures”, and video tapped the proposal. I was totally surprised and of course, said yes. After, we had dinner across the street at an authentic Italian restaurant.

With $20,000, we would pay for our wedding that we’re planning for this upcoming January, use some for books for the remainder of our college careers, and save the rest to put towards a down payment on our future home.