Our Story

Kailua, Oahu. June 2009.

Michael and I met in the fall of 2007. I was in my sophomore year at Hawaii Pacific University, living in a house full of girls by the beach. Michael had gotten stationed at Barber's Point Coast Guard station earlier that April, 2007. It was by chance that one of his roommates met and starting dating one of my roommates, and that we were destined to meet the following fall at one of our house parties. It wasn't until many months later, and a few things working them self out, that we slowly started talking. I was attracted to his southern gentleman appeal, while I think my crazy California attitude threw him for a loop! It wasn't too long before our phone conversations grew longer, and a whole summer break went by of having a long distance courtship. We somehow stayed connected thousands of miles apart, while I was working at home in California, and started "going steady", as my dad would say, upon my arrival back in Hawaii that August, 2008. It wasn't until that winter that I committed to the official title of being "Boyfriend and Girlfriend", after Michael proved to me time and time again, through almost my entire first semester of nursing school, that he would show his easy-going nature to me during my most trying times, calming me no matter what the stressful situation was.

311 Concert. Oahu. August 2008.

In June 2009, we decided to take our relationship to another level by moving in with each other. We spent a quant two years in that beautiful apartment perched up in Makakilo, overlooking Pearl Harbor, and a mere 10 minutes drive from one of our favorite beaches. We had many friends and family visit us, enjoying our island home and relishing in the slow-paced lifestyle that we had adapted during our years there.

Kokohead Lookout. Oahu. 2009.

Despite my stressful time in nursing school, we were able to have a lot of fun together, taking breaks to meet and visit each other's families, in each others respective neighborhoods. Michael came to visit my family in the San Francisco Bay Area...

Berkeley, California. 2009.

Visiting the South! Louisiana. January 2010.

I graduated from Nursing School in December 2010, and it wasn't until June 2011 that we said goodbye to our beloved Hawaii, and said hello to a 16 day roadtrip across the country, making our way to Michael's new Coast Guard station in Clearwater, FL.

Visiting Anna's Family. Oakland, California.

The Grand Canyon. Arizona.

The Four Corners. Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.

Visiting Michael's Family. Mobile, Alabama.

We finally made it Clearwater, FL in July 2011. Michael settled into his new station, and I found a nursing job at a skilled nursing facility. We became official home owners in February of 2012, making our settlement in Florida a bit more concrete, and further increasing the commitment level in our relationship.

One Monday night, July 23, 2012 to be exact, Michael surprised me with a "special dinner". He banned me from the kitchen and put together a beautiful dinner for the two of us. As he lead me into the kitchen blind-folded, I heard Dave Matthew's Band, Crash Into Me, which is none other than our special song, playing softly in the background. I opened my eyes to a candlelit dinner table set for two, with a special bottle of wine, and his notorious spaghetti dinner laid out in front of me. Upon his insistence, I looked closer at the table, only to discover a board lying on my chair, with the words "Anna, will you marry me? -M" inscribed across it. I spun around and saw Michael on his knee, holding up a gorgeous, one of a kind ring!

I of course said, "Yes!" (after some "You're joking right??", and "Is this real? comments thrown around first). And now we can officially announce our engagement! Can't wait for the next year of adventures as we plan our big day!