Our story began 20 years ago, in a very sunny McAllen day inside Cathey Middle School. I was in math class and we got an announcement that we would be getting a new student. I remember seeing Felipe for the first time.

We ended up clicking really quick, we had advanced art class together. We joked a lot about making our own "COOL" club and had a lot of the same hobbies. We both played video games like The Sims and Nintendo, read, watched anime and liked to draw. I knew right away that I liked him.

When highschool came around Felipe ended up staying for one semester before relocating to Corpus. About a year after his move, we reconnected. Felipe was able to visit during the summers and we would continue playing tennis or video games. We both graduated highschool and lost touch during our first few years in college.

One boring day in NYC, I was texting my cousin, and somehow Felipe came into our conversation. She and Felipe went to A&M but were a year apart, so I asked how he was and she told me he was single. After connecting on facebook, we immediately clicked again, talking about our futures, what we are working on, he was a teacher's assistant for a science class and I was in school for photography. I knew right away that my feelings were still there.

We knew we wanted to be together despite the distance so we gave being a long distance couple a try. Our first official date as a couple was in NYC, we walked down Fifth Avenue, went to the American Museum of Natural History, took photos in front of the Brooklyn Bridge kissing, we went to Soho and ate crepes... We spent the whole week laughing together. I remember asking him "Why are you so silly all the time?" and he said "I love to make you laugh." It was a great two years. We decided to part ways for a year, for Felipe to finish his school and I was in the midst of finding my first photography job.

Fast forward to 2018, I was driving down from my sister's graduation when I received a message from Felipe saying that if I am passing through Dallas, we should have dinner. We did, and I think we both knew that our spark never left.

After a few months of reconnecting, we decided to date long distance again. We would see each other every 3-6 months, either I would go to Dallas or he would come to NYC. One of my favorite dates was going to the same museum we went to on our first date, walked through Central Park, ate some NYC hot dogs in front of my favorite place, the Bethesda Fountain (which is where we will be eloping at!) We had many more dates and adventures in both Dallas and NYC for the next two years after that.

In December 2019, we took our first overseas trip to Japan. It was very chilly, so we went skiing on Mt. Fuji, took photos wearing kimonos, explored Tokyo and Kyoto. After that trip, I knew he was the person I wanted to travel with for the rest of my life.

When the pandemic hit, we didn't see each other for 9 months straight but we were still dating as a long distance couple. Felipe graduated from dental school and I moved back home from NYC. Once things started to calm down and we were allowed to be outside with no masks, I asked Felipe if I could visit him in Corpus. After that, my mom and dad would take me to visit him monthly for a couple of months straight. I am forever grateful that they made the trip every month, but I think they knew they were taking me to see someone I really loved.

Felipe moved down to McAllen after finding a really good job, he found an apartment, and I was already working at DHR Health as a photographer. This was our first time living in the same city since we were about 13 years old. It felt amazing that we could go on weekly dates, some of our favorite dates were our weekly charcuterie dates at Bodega where we just talked and reconnected for the week, tipsy painting classes and long evening gaming sessions. During that year we took an Austin trip, attended a concert in Houston, went to Dallas to visit his friends, and visited South Padre together for the first time. He was also able to experience a family trip to Hawaii. We did a spontaneous trip to California to attend an Anime convention for a day. After a year of working at his new job, Felipe eventually was able to buy our first home. I moved in a couple months after. We also adopted two sweet boys (kittens) Miso and Tofu.

In November 2023, Felipe and I decided to go back to Japan. We had an amazing time visiting the city of Kumamoto, where we got to see all of the One Piece statues from our favorite anime One Piece, not an easy excurcion. I teared up when Felipe got to visit Super Nintendo World because he is such a big fan of Nintendo. We experienced the Pokemon Cafe together and got to try a fancy Omakase sushi experience. Once our trip was coming to a close we had planned to visit Mt. Fuji. Something always felt super special about that mountain, and I always felt blessed to see it during my bullet train rides. After we climbed hundreds of stairs to the most perfect view, Felipe got on one knee, and said "I have found the perfect girl for me, I want to spend the rest of my life together, will you marry me?" I shook my head and said yes, and I jumped into his arms and kissed him.

Now our story continues with many more firsts. I can't wait to bring you all along.

Photos