Connect How did your love story begin?

Ajia hired Joe for a cabinet paint job for a set of rental properties. While Joe was only hired to paint the cabinets, after a time, he began volunteering to help Ajia do other tasks to prepare the properties for tenants – oftentimes for free. For two months, the two worked together closely – sometimes well into the night, filling the time with laughter and conversations about their families. Five months later Joe flew to California to ask Ajia’s father for her hand in marriage.

What is your favorite memory you've shared as a couple?

We went to DC for a couple of days for what we called our "mini-honeymoon." We rented those electric bikes and zig-zagged through the city like banshees for 4 hours before our plane left. We spent the whole day just laughing, playing, and sightseeing. Though we've had plenty of amazing times together, this one was particularly memorable because we just felt and acted like children in love, exploring something new together.

What would you do with $20,000?

We are buying our first home together! The house we're looking for will be much bigger than the one we're moving from. We'd get rid of our old couch (it's sagging like crazy), and buy two new couches--one for the family room and the other for the living room (a sectional so we can stretch out!), a year long membership to the Bricktown Comedy Club (that's our favorite pasttime), and finally book our honeymoon to Mexico!