It started on a ferris wheel.

We met over fried dough and hot dogs at the first night of parties at Six Flags for the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Kate was there to volunteer and Chan was there to crash the exclusive events. 

Months later, at the encouragement of our mutual friend Melissa, Chan asked Kate out for a first date.  A few more dates followed and the two found themselves a couple, meeting the approval of friends all around.  Kate thought Chan would be good for her but wasn’t sure if it would work out.  Chan was keenly aware that Kate was special, but was anxious at how he would screw it all up.

Over the next couple of years,  we assembled a list of adventures together—white water rafting in West Virginia; a Thanksgiving roadtrip for lobster dinner in Maine; and a Polar Bear Plunge in a blizzard on the Chesapeake Bay—Chan knew was determined to spend the rest of his life with Kate.

Chan wanted to ensure that he had Kate’s parents’ approval, so he drove to Connecticut to ask for their permission to marry their daughter.  

Upon receiving their support, he called Kate’s boss to arrange time off from work so that he could whisk her away properly. 

Chan surprised Kate with a trip to Venice, Italy, somewhere she had never been but spoke to her Italian pasta-loving heritage.