It was summer of 2023 when Dusty first asked Tracy out to dinner after connecting online. They met at a small restaurant in Corona Del Mar. He arrived early, and kept stealing glances at the front door in anticipation of her arrival. When she walked through the door, their eyes met and they never looked away for the rest of the night. They smiled, they laughed, they spoke of their love for music, their jobs, and their love for their families. It was getting late but felt all too soon to say goodbye, so they took a walk down to the beach to see the tide pools. They ended up sitting on a lifeguard tower continuing to hang on each other’s every word, and there was no doubt they’d meet again.

In the days, weeks, and months to follow, Tracy and Dusty wasted no time learning all about each other. They did everything together: concerts, hikes, museums, drive-in movies, dance lessons, opera, village bookstores, baseball and football games, Pad Thai, cooking and baking together, trivia night, book club – the only two members, fishing, low-rider car shows, dragster car races, ice skating, miniature golf, and church. Each brought with it meaningful memories, but for Dusty, he had decided he wanted to give her a lifetime of them.

Dusty took Tracy to their favorite lookout in Laguna Beach. The sun was beginning to set as he took her by the hand to a cliffside view of the ocean. Tracy stood stunned as Dusty knelt down and spoke the four words that flooded her heart with love, causing her eyes to glisten and her voice to utter one word – Yes!