It was Phan's unwavering love for free food and Ralph's adventurous spirit of meeting new people that brought them together.

On a Friday morning at a Stanford grad student social (a.k.a. free food event), they met. Ralph's friendliness and charm encouraged Phan to be more sociable than usual--she stayed for the entire event! Phan's passion for education was so fascinating to Ralph that he made excuses to follow her to Starbucks and the library.

The first time that they spent an entire day together was in San Francisco. Phan felt at home in the Mission; Ralph began to appreciate the city. Two years later, they made San Francisco their home. The Bay Area is special. They love the outdoors and its unconventional spirit. They reserved the reception venue before getting engaged. At the top of Mount Tam, Phan proposed to Ralph with an origami rose.