I met Charla while we were in high school. She will tell you that it was after she dated my friend and I dated hers that we became friends, but long before then Charla caught my eye. She and her friends used to sit at the end of this long table in the school cafeteria; my friends sat at the other end.​

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 She has a smile that just grabs and holds you and its really amazing that she never caught me just staring! In high school I was way too shy to ever approach her, I had the chubby kid lack of confidence. After the very short period when we dated each others' friends, the best thing to come from that was us officially becoming friends. What I remember most about that period of high school was the long conversations we would have - we'd just speak for hours. It was so easy to talk to her and I know she felt the same. I realized how much we had in common and how similar we both grew up. I believe that I knew then that I had found the "one" for me but God decided that it wasn't quite time for our love story to begin - we both had more growing to do. But the foundation was set. 

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We reconnected in 2011, seven years after high school. To this day I remember what she wore, how she walked and how her smile immediately held me on our first date. The fire of our friendship was rekindled, and since that day it has only burned brighter and stronger. After our first date, where I ate sushi for the first time and Charla danced to latin music, we dated the rest of the year. During that time, I was also very homesick and considered moving back to California for good. In the summer of 2012, I went home and invited Charla out to visit me. She came, and I saw the way Charla immediately won my family over and unselfishly gave me the option to decide what was best for me to do. Once again I was reminded of how special she is. One evening during that same summer under a California sunset and the first visible stars, I asked her to be my girlfriend. Everyday after that has been a wonderful adventure filled with discoveries of beautiful treasures for over 4 years.

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In my life I've always felt that God brings certain individuals directly in my path at exactly the right time. They happen in a way that seems effortless. Thats exactly how I felt once I began to plan the trip on which I would be asking Charla to marry me. It was as if it was written for us, and I was simply following the grand plan God has for Charla and me. 

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The day that I planned to ask Charla to marry me, we woke up in Marina Del Rey, California. I brought Charla out there because she had just graduated from her Masters program and my oldest niece was graduating from high school, so I told her the trip was a graduation gift. That morning we ate breakfast at a farmers market and talked about our relationship. Later we met up with my nieces and went to Venice Beach for the afternoon. We met our friend Maryka's brother, Chris, at his restaurant and had some pastries and drinks before heading back to the hotel for a nap. Charla had no idea that we had over 20 guests, all family, on the way to meet us for dinner. I told her that all the people were here to celebrate her graduation. I have never been so nervous but I've never felt so good and confident. With the perfect ring and the perfect night among so many people that love us and wish us the best, I made the best decision I've ever made - I asked Charla to be my lifelong partner. She is everything I could ever dream of.