How It All Went Down

August 2011. While attending her first semester of grad school, Yvonne was persuaded by her friend Sarah to open an online dating account. Earlier in 2011 Dan ran the LA Marathon, then spent the next two months working in India. Dan came back a new man and started an account just like Yvonne. When Dan sent her a message, Yvonne was in North Carolina at her brother Nick's bachelor party, and promised to chat with him later. Unlucky for Dan, Yvonne completely forgot as she then traveled to D.C. to hang out with her brothers Phi and Phu, and then flew back to LA to embark on a week-long road trip with her longtime roommates Rosana and Lidia. LA-> Vegas -> Moab, Utah -> Yellowstone Park -> Mount Rushmore -> Chicago! 

Dan didn't forget. A few days after Yvonne came back from the road trip, the two of them met for the first time at the Hollywood Bowl to watch the LA Philharmonic. The evening went so well, a date was set for the following night. While trying to catch a screening of Alice In Wonderland at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art), Yvonne and Dan ran through a patch of grass which quickly turned into a muddy pile of goop, getting small splashes of mud on Yvonne's dress and breaking Dan's flip flops. An evening that could've quickly turned sour, Yvonne cried, "How are your shoes?" and Dan replied, "How's your dress?" and Yvonne confirmed right then and there Dan was the one for her. 

November 2013, Dan suggested they try to get in one last picnic at the Hollywood Bowl before it got too cold. Not a bad idea. Loaded with a picnic basket of banh mi, dried persimmons from Yvonne's mom and an engagement ring, Dan proposed to Yvonne. Completely stunned, Yvonne got up from her seat and walked away. When she finally came to, she turned to Dan five aisles away and yelled, "WHAT? NO WAY!" "HOW DID YOU..? NO WAY!" from the sheer surprise of it all. At some point afterwards Yvonne finally said yes.