The Spring Season is near, and I have a little more “Spring” in my step. With the increase in daylight hours and warmer weather, I’m excited to load up on my allergy medicine and get outdoors. For me being outdoors is fun and healthy for the mind, body, and soul.

My favorite spring activity includes attending baseball games, hiking and biking at one of the many northern California trails, fishing at the local lakes and rivers, attending beer festivals, and, last but not least, playing some cornhole. 

It was your typical crush-turned-love with us, meeting in the high school quad. I saw her as beautiful and she saw me as mysterious (I usually ran solo, preferred books over sports or class gatherings). We had a few classes together which absolutely helped our relationship grow, but the hard part came at graduation.

We both applied for different collages, and in very different cities (40 miles apart). The saving miracle was my dad's truck which he has let me use (even till today!), which I employed as often as possible to go and visit. The most nerve racking situation came again at university graduation.. where I decided to propose during a celebratory dinner at the fantastic Orange Hill Restaurant's terrace.

It 'just so happened' to coincide with the fireworks with Disneyland at the exact moment I took her outside and took a knee. The results were well worth waiting through two graduations.

Since then, we've made it through the storms and the clear weather, and 12 years (since we became a couple, married for 4) of growing together, falling in love, and beatings the odds!

I met Michelle at the gym at BYU. First good sign was all the girls at the gym saying: "oh yeah she's here all the time." Bingo. Next good sign: "straight A student." Awesome, this is perrrfect. Then, bam: "top of her class & pro dancer at BYU." "Cheerleading captain." "honors roll."  "Valedictorian".  Hmmm okay, *gulp*... sheesh now it's getting a little intimidating. But I've always been one to put the "dating" into that word, so I pushed forward and we both "fell in like" with each other, became amazing friends, became a deadly duo, and fell quite quickly right into love! 😋 That's sometimes the best way to do it.