Liza & Misha

Once upon a time Liza and Mike found each other on a dating site called Hinge.

Liza had misunderstood Mike’s plans for a first video chat and had thought they were planning to speak on the phone, so when Mike texted to find out if she was ready, she was covered in flour from baking but Mike didn’t seem to notice. They bonded over a long conversation about their Russian backgrounds and world travels. It just so happened they had been born in the same city - St. Petersburg, and had to travel all the way to California to meet. Mike was stricken by Liza’s wit and beauty, and Liza was impressed by Mike’s kind manner and handsome face.

In between their video chat and first date, a most tumultuous presidential debate took place which Mike and Liza watched from their respective apartments while texting each other memes throughout. Mike was impressed by Liza’s sense of humor and happy they could find comic relief together in such dark political times. Simultaneously an orange horizon of smoke settled over the Bay Area, polluting the air, and turning the sky dark. Their mutual humor and optimism helped them get through the next couple of weeks, and would serve as a foundation for their budding relationship.

On their first date Mike and Liza went to a sushi restaurant called Kyosho in Menlo Park. The restaurant setup was intimate and they were the only people inside since the restaurant had only recently minimally lifted pandemic restrictions and opened two tables inside. Mike thought the date was going well, so he surprised Liza after, asking to see if she’d like to drink beer in the park, without clarifying the idea being due to the fact that the bars were still closed, and Liza after some hesitation decided it was a good idea. They grabbed Titus, Liza’s poodle, and headed to Menlo Park where they proceeded to drink cider (since Liza couldn’t actually have beer), and watch Titus chase the ducks around the lake, which later became a favorite activity.

Their second date though was when Mike really made an impression. Liza had just hurt her ankle, and broken her finger (yes it was that kind of week), and came to their picnic limping and grumpy, but with English muffins she’d made at home. Mike was already there, with a picnic blanket spread, and an impressive array of snacks including a special pomegranate sparkling water beverage that later became Liza’s favorite. He also brought a toy for Titus, seriously impressing Liza. They laid on the blanket for a long time, sharing childhood stories, and dreams for the future. Mike had wanted to kiss Liza but Titus strategically positioned himself in between as a chaperone.

On the third date, Mike invited Liza for dinner and made steak, quinoa, and asparagus. While they were having drinks, Mike half-jokingly suggested they climb up the fire escape to the roof and enjoy the view of downtown. Mike hadn’t actually ever been on the roof himself, given the ladder was scary so he assumed she'd say no. But Liza surprised Mike with her bravery and immediately jumped at the idea so they climbed up the narrow ladder and had drinks on the roof, looking out at the romantic nighttime view of the San Francisco skyline and lights from the Bay Bridge. This would be followed by many adventures where one of them would half heartedly suggest an idea and the other would immediately be on board - such as their first weekend trip to Cambria, a full day kayaking trip down from the Hoover dam, goat yoga, getting certified in scuba diving and taking on the Deep Blue Hole in the same trip, exploring the Galapagos islands, or learning to cook Cambodian food together.

Soon due to her mostly remote job during the peak of the COVID pandemic Liza was spending half of her weeks at Mike’s place, and they moved in together in May in Redwood City next to a large marine estuary and took up birdwatching, having regular board game nights with friends as well as long walks along the marina.

When they started talking about their future they found that they had so many goals and dreams in common, alongside their love of adventure and travel. They loved living together, and saw an amazing future for themselves so decided to get married.

During a Thanksgiving vacation to O’ahu, Mike took Liza for a scenic drive up the coast, stopping at a few locations to throw Liza off, and they stopped for lunch at her favorite spot on the island, spending a long time sitting on the beach and enjoying the perfect day. After, Mike said that he also wanted to stop by a beach swing on another part of the island, and drove north. When they reached Kahana Bay they parked and started walking along the beach towards the swings. Liza was keen to get to the swings, but Mike stopped her, saying they should look out on the water and the mountains. While they were standing with his arms wrapped around her she noticed his heart beating fast, and in what seemed like an instant he had spun her around and was down on one knee with the waves washing up at their feet, asking Liza to marry him. Liza kissed him and agreed, accepting the ring, then telling him she had to grab something from her purse. She pulled a box out of her purse which she had been carrying around for a couple of months and got down on one knee asking Mike to marry her back. Surprised and happy he accepted her ring and they lived happily ever after.