One evening in September 2016, Michelle signed up for eHarmony on a whim. After a few days, a cute guy named Dyami sent her a “smile” in the app. Unfortunately, Michelle ended up getting sick for 2 weeks and went radio silent. Thankfully, Dyami was patient. Soon, they began messaging back and forth and discovered they had a lot in common. After sending essay-long messages to one another, Michelle gave Dyami her number. Their first phone call lasted for almost 2 hours.

Their first date was at Bird Dog in downtown Palo Alto. Michelle was shaking like a leaf waiting for Dyami to arrive, hoping that their connection would also be strong in-person. Thankfully, it was. They talked about their families, food, music, concerts they’d attended recently, and bonded over how delicious Bird Dog's grilled avocado was! It was a great first date and they both wanted to see each other again.

About a week later, Dyami asked Michelle if she would like to go with him to the Bridge School Benefit Concert at Shoreline Amphitheater. Michelle had been thinking of asking Dyami to go to that show too! They danced to Norah Jones as the sun set and the evening ended with an incredible performance by Roger Waters of Pink Floyd. After that concert, they knew they wanted to be together.

On October 30, 2016, they made it official, and the rest is history.

After finishing up Christmas dinner at Michelle's parents' house, it was time to open presents. Dyami and Michelle had already exchanged gifts that morning, so she wasn't expecting anything else. Dyami asked a couple of Michelle's family members to take videos of us opening presents so he could share them with his mom in Kentucky.

Dyami handed out gifts to Michelle's parents and sister. Unbeknownst to her, it was a distraction from what was to come. As they were opening their gifts, he went behind the tree and took off an ornament. He walked up to Michelle, got down on one knee, and asked her to marry him. In one hand, he was holding a porcelain ornament that looked like an engagement ring in a heart-shaped box, and in the other was Michelle's great-great grandmother's diamond Eastern Star ring. Dyami had snuck it out of her jewelry box and got it cleaned at a jeweler the week prior. Michelle burst into tears and embraced Dyami, as her family screamed and cheered. Champagne was brought out for a celebratory toast and after over 6 years together, Michelle and Dyami were finally engaged!