Our story begins at the San Diego Macy’s in 2016. We used to work together, but in separate departments — Hemi was in visual merchandising, while I worked in women’s sales. We were both part of a work committee representing our respective departments, and that’s how we got to know each other.

On October 31st, after a work meeting, we bumped into each other on the sales floor. We started chatting about the meeting, but then I asked if she had any plans for the evening. She said she was thinking about checking out a bar after work, and after we vibe-checked each other, we decided to meet up!

That night, we met at a local bar called Sidecar. She dressed as a ninja, while I was persuaded to wear cat ears she just happened to have — because who doesn’t keep extra cat ears in their car? To complete the look, she suggested drawing a cat nose and whiskers on my face with her black eyeliner. Without hesitation, I said, “Sure, why not?” After a fun and eventful evening together, we quickly became close friends and started hanging out more often.

During the holiday season that same year, we grew even closer. On December 4th, 2016, we went to a holiday event called “December Nights” at Balboa Park in San Diego — a beautiful festival filled with lights, Christmas trees, and holiday cheer. After an unforgettable night, we fell in love.

What began as a wonderful friendship soon blossomed into a loving relationship — now nine years and counting.