We first met on August 18, 2010, thanks to our mutual friend Kari Lane. Kari invited us both to the 48 Hour Film Project – Inland Empire: World Premiere Screening at UltraStar Cinemas in Riverside.

At the time, Daniel had graduated from UC Riverside’s film school, and Lisa had met Kari three years prior while in Spain.

From Lisa’s perspective, Daniel was funny, sweet, and engaging. From Daniel’s perspective, Lisa was beautiful, sharp-witted, and way out of his league (but that didn’t stop him from trying).

That night was fun, but life had other plans.

We wandered off into our own timelines, chasing adventures, building careers, and collecting stories — the kind of detours the Doctor might call “necessary to get here on time.” Years passed without us seeing each other again.

Eventually, life brought us back into each other’s orbit — and this time, the timing was right.

What started as a chance meeting at a film festival became walks, adventures, shared silliness (ask about the turkey noises), and a mutual knack for making each other’s days easier and brighter.

From film festivals to farmers markets, from Hawaii to Brazil, from Disneyland to cold plunges — every moment together has been its own adventure.

Now we’re about to start the biggest one yet: marriage.