They were just two young kids who met at a carnival one night and fell madly in love. Or was it when they met during Manuel’s mandatory participation in the drama club's spring musical? Actually, I think it was when Manuel saved Kristen from jumping off a cruise ship...

Hmm, is it just me or did those sound awfully familiar to some Hollywood love stories, perhaps? Truth is, they were two people going though rough times who both miraculously swiped right on Tinder. They met up for cocktails one night and bonded over common ground. Over the next two months they went on many dinner dates and just kept things casual, until one day Kristen proposed the idea of going to Oahu together to just get away.  

The two weren’t “official” yet, and Manuel turned her down because he thought it was crazy to travel 4,442 miles away with someone he barely knew. After weeks of convincing, Manuel finally agreed to go, and the rest is history. They did a lot of firsts together...they skydived, started an annual vacation tradition, adventured more, got into craft beer and wineries, and Manuel became a cat dad to Kristen’s cat, Bane.  

Years later, in early 2020, Kristen, her family and Manuel planned a trip to Maui. While on their last night there, they were taking family photos when Manuel asked Kristen to get one last photo by the water at sunset. They walked over to where the water meets the sand and Manuel pulled a small box out of his pocket. Kristen looked at the box and it read “our adventure book”...she turned the page and there was their first photo together, from their first trip to Oahu, three years ago. Then, she read further and realized it wasn’t a photo book at all, it was a ring box! With water in her eyes she read, “adventure is out there, let’s adventure together forever”. She turned the page and there was the ring! By the time she looked back at Manuel, he was down on his knee in the sand asking her to marry him.  

Now, that’s their love story.