As Ku previously mentioned, we met at our work. I know, typical, right??

It was Sept 9, 2011 . A Friday.

I remember hearing great things about her. “You’ll like her, she’s pretty funny,” a co-worker shared with me. She walked in, pretty cocky right off the bat with her fancy title and her short skirt. Long, luscious black locks and bright smile. We were sitting in a mini-morning meeting and she stood up to introduce herself. After that it was our turn to introduce ourselves, which made me giggle because the whole team already knew her. This was all really for me. When it was my turn, she made THIS FACE that I couldn’t quite discern. A smirk. She says she doesn’t remember. I question this.

The thing is, she couldn’t leave me alone, either. To the point where she drunk dialed me one night and kept saying, “Virginia Vasconcellos. Doesn’t that sound AMAZING?!” How do you not fall in love with an alliteration aficionado? Be still, my heart!

Flash forward to December 2013. I had planned a surprise birthday party for her the night before ALL while she had been planning her own surprise for the crack of dawn on the 28th. She made sure we got home earlier than I had expected. We were chatting with Ashley, Kulia’s sister, having some wine. Ku went to bed early. “Don’t stay up too long, ladies,” she said as she went to crash.

WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED WE WOULD STAY UP TALKING UNTIL 5 AM?!?! Certainly not me.

So, she woke me up an hour later. I may have still been tipsy. It was a sunrise date on our favorite beach. We stopped for McDonald’s coffee on the way and then we made it out there. We sat in front of our favorite beach house on Lanikai and she handed me a present. “You said you would write our story one day, but I beat you to it,” she said. “Turn around and read this and don’t turn back around until you’re done.”

It was a book full of pictures and quotes of our time together. Short but full of life and adventure, love and learning, ebbs and flows but INSANE happiness. Most of our favorite moments, tons of memories. All in this beautiful collection, with a love letter at the end that ended with an ellipsis, and when I turned the page, three pictures featuring my favorite little men, each holding up a word. “Will you marry…”

And then I turned around. She was sitting in the sand with the word ME? in the sand. I never expected it. Never saw it coming. This was even before we thought it would be legal. None of that has ever mattered to us. Really, it’s more of a feeling of commitment to each other. So, I said yes. Then I said, “I know this is a beautiful moment and there’s nowhere I would rather be right now…except we have to go because I have to poop. Thank you, McDonald’s coffee. It’s pretty urgent.”

And that’s been the PERFECT synopsis of our relationship. A lot of beauty mixed with bowel movements, silliness and shenanigans, all rolled together. You’re all welcome.