CARINA AND SHUI

Their story in their own words…

How they met:

Shui began working with the Social Security Administration (SSA) in September 2003 in Laguna Niguel, CA. At the same exact time, Carina began her journey working for SSA in Inglewood, CA. In May 2007, Carina’s career fortuitously brought her to Mission Viejo, CA; where she met Shui. They sat across the way from each other, and throughout the months, a friendship built. Shui soon found himself a little bit distracted at work. Although thinking he had zero chance, Shui decided to make a move and snag Carina before she knew what hit her!

The proposal:

In June 2009, Carina agreed to come up and visit Shui for a few days while he was up in Richmond, CA for work. Unfamiliar with the Bay area, Shui spent several days before her arrival to research and plan out a special weekend. The first night, they had dinner at a wonderful restaurant in San Francisco, Restaurant Gary Danko. The next night, Shui and Carina set out again in San Francisco. After a quick visit to Coit Tower, they had dinner at a nice little Italian restaurant, Albona. Afterward, they set out for the Palace of Fine Arts. As they roamed the beautiful grounds, the sun began to set. Shui found a secluded area next to the lake with a wonderful view of the Rotunda at sunset. As it was starting to get cold, Shui held Carina tightly as they admired the view. After expressing his feelings of love and hopes for the future, Shui got on his knees and proposed. Carina’s initial response was shock and silence. After a few moments, she said, “Yes!” Later that night, Shui presented Carina with a scrapbook he made that represented memories that built their relationship in the past 15 months.