Love blooms
Despite mutual friends and floating in and out of the same social circles, it wasn't until one chilly, otherwise uneventful December night when Jen and Jona met at a friend's graduation party. What they bonded talking over that night wasn't particularly romantic, discussing up and coming pop phenoms and the ever wise stock market tips of two broke college students, but there was clearly something there. As the night went on, the friends and faces around started to melt in the background; the time-lapse of the world passing them by as they laughed and told stories. The night started nearing its end with a slightly inebriated promise that Jona would attend the next Vietnamese Student Association event after missing the last one, which would give the two the chance to see each other again.
They ended up seeing each other much sooner than that, when Jen offered to drop Jona off in Edmonds the next day on her way down to Federal Way, and then again on Christmas Eve when they went on their first date taking the Ferry and going last minute gift shopping, and then again a few weeks later when they went to Leavenworth, and well they kind of just never stopped hanging out together after that.
Leavenworth, WA
2018 & 2022
2019
There is a widespread phenomenon of “senioritis”, that many former students can attest to. It’s usually developed in the final stretch of school senior year, when Spring has arrived and graduation starts getting measured in “weeks away” instead of months. Your motivation for coursework and attending lectures begin to lose the decisive battle of priorities to 8pm sunsets, the smell of charcoal grills, and the anticipation of what’s to come. One result of this phenomenon of course being that classes happen to start getting “missed” just a little more often.
It was during this period of elation and excitement for the future that Jen and Jona’s love took root and started to grow. They went to their first concert together, Odesza’s much awaited return to Bellingham. Their first Valentine’s day together at Anthony’s - a wise choice by Jona aware of Jen’s affect for Calamari and Aioli at the time.
At one point Jona “missed” class to go with Jen across the Canadian border in the noble quest best for better bubble tea than they could get in Bellingham. You could say “senioritis” played some role in that choice. But there were signs in those many days of adventure spent in each others company that the pair had caught something stronger than senioritis; feelings for each other.
Jen graduated on June 15th, and Jona the day before on June 14th 2019 (which of course would go on to be the second most important June 14th of his life). In the graduation brochure a section was written under Jona’s name describing how he had accepted a job offer in San Francisco the Summer before and would be moving there after graduation to start his career. He ended up choosing to “miss” this too.
2020
On New Years Eve 2020, Jen and Jona stood on a crowded dance floor at WAMU Theater, the bass of loud electronic music vibrating the floors and walls around them. As the clock approached midnight Jona retrieved from his wrist a bracelet he had made for Jen to celebrate the excitement and promise of the year ahead. As the clock neared midnight and he moved to put it on her wrist, it broke open, raining colored beads into the abyss of the dance floor below. Surely an omen of a difficult year to come.
Washing groceries in the sink, Jona’s failure at growing a beard that connects, a picnic set up on the laminate floor of the kitchen, and Jen’s flawless execution of a bathroom self buzz cut, make up some of the visuals of 2020 for the pair. In a year of turmoil, chaos, and challenge they found solace in the many hours spent quarantined together at home with Tobi and playing games together. If 2019 was the year their love took root and began to grow, 2020 was surely the challenge of Winter - appreciating the fleeting sunlight every minute it’s there and embracing what love looks like in the hard times as well as the good.
New Years Eve 2021 ended differently than New Years Eve 2020, Jona and Jen found themselves moving into a new apartment that day in First Hill. Apartment full of boxes, nothing on the walls, they cracked open a bottle of cheap wine, threw a dish cloth on a moving box to make it a table and proceeded to talk the night away. Peering outside they were able to just barely watch the downtown fireworks peaking out above the buildings surrounding them. Optimistic to be living in a new place, heading into a new year, and seeing the first signs of spring ahead.
2021
Pictured: Disneyland, Vegas, New York, San Francisco, LA and making up for lots of missed travel time. A pop-up picnic in Volunteer Park planned to celebrate Jen’s 25th birthday party and the pair picking pumpkins in the pumpkin patch. Sand dune buggy riding in Oregon.
2022
Pictured: Their first international trip together (other than those earlier mentioned Vancouver Boba runs) to Italy. A return trip to Leavenworth to relive the special date there from when they first met. Their first time visiting Chicago, where Jona almost ended up burning down their Airbnb. A music festival in downtown Vancouver, cherry blossoms at UW, and one of many trips to Gameworks downtown where Jen continued to uphold her 4 year streak of being better at all arcade games than Jona.
2023
Pictured: Vancouver Night Market, PAX 2023, Halo World Championships, Capitol Hill Block Party, visiting Ohio, and Jen’s BTS themed birthday party.
The Proposal
When people think of a marriage proposal, what often first comes to mind is flowers, candles, and a beautiful scenic view. What does not come to mind is a 27 page google doc, a secret operational code name and a web of careful planning involving spoofed locations, false reservations, hidden keys, and cryptically named envelopes. But alas, these are the lengths which Jona knew he had to go in order give Jen a proposal that was as special as she is.
Story to be updated
