Our Story

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Our Story

We met on a road trip...

We met in a parking lot before a group trip to summit Half Dome in Yosemite, CA. The adventure featured stunning views, a long car drive with diva tracks running on repeat, a tough climb, s’mores, and many of our closest friends. By the end of our weekend, we were buddies. Firdaus came to Stella’s 4th of July party. Stella came to Firdaus’ BBQ. We both did a 5k. But, nothing of real note happened until five months later.

Best friends

Best friends

Dinner for two...

Stella organized a group of friends to attend the 2013 San Francisco Diner en Blanc. We went from sitting at opposite ends of the table to holding hands. Five days later, Firdaus asked Stella over for dinner. Stella was surprised to find that the table was set for two. Around the time that Stella discovered that her London transfer had come through, Firdaus took Stella to Big Sur (the place Stella vacationed every summer as a child). Stella decided that she didn’t want to be with anyone else. Firdaus started to think about an international transfer.

We do

We do

Lightning in the distance...

Nearly a year after they met, Firdaus took Stella to Tioman, a small island in Malaysia. At sunset, they strolled down the pier. The restaurant area was full, so they sat where the boats were moored and told each other stories as the sun went down. A couple of hours later, a table cleared. They dined on fish and enjoyed watching lightning play in the distance. At some point, Stella had to excuse herself. As she walked along the shore, she noticed a bored couple at a lover’s table on the beach playing with their phones. Gosh, she thought. That doesn’t look fun. Firdaus had the same reaction and quickly rethought his initial proposal plan. Their room was up a hill, and he had to run fast to avoid suspicion. When he returned, Stella and a waiter were the last ones on the dock. He fumbled to pull the ring out of his pocket. Stella had told him weeks before that the answer would be “yes”. The next night they sat at the lover’s table, but they did not look at their phones. They turned on music and danced on the beach. Hours later, a waitress approached them with a “congratulations” cake. The entire wait staff had been waiting for Firdaus to get down on one knee. They didn't know that he had proposed the evening before.