July 24, 2007

I know, some of you who have heard of our plans a year ago have already started thinking it would not happen. "They are not gonna do it. They will never get married, at least not with us as witnesses." I don't blame you. Despite all too many differences between us, we are both procrastinators, and I have yet to meet a worse one. But we have all the intention of keeping our promises. So, here we are…

Our little ceremony will take place at 4pm on Saturday, August 25th, 2007 in the little church, Yosemite Chapel, in… where else…Yosemite.

Here is a little history of Yosemite and us. The reason it all started was I was climbing with this guy in the gym and he learned that I wanted to climb this stellar route in Yosemite called the Rostrum. He said to me, "Ahhh… my buddy Strom loves that route. I bet he can take you up on it." But wait, I said "someday in the future", not "this summer!" Still, he called Erik up and told him, "Hey dude, there is this girl in my gym. Her name is Mei (note: he misleadingly pronounced my name as "me" instead of "may" although he denied it later.). I offered you to take her up Rostrum." That was the summer of 2005. So we started climbing together regularly in Yosemite. We did many killer routes together. Most of the time, he led the hard stuff and I followed. He was quiet most of the time on the climbs because he thought it would sound really weird for him to shout out things like "You are on belay, me!" Those climbing trips always involved long drives, which gave us lots of opportunities to converse. We were quite open and honest with each other, or at least I was, so much so that I even said to him once, "see, I can tell you these things because I would never date you." That was a couple of months before we started dating — his charm was just so irresistible. Even though we have not climbed in Yosemite recently because of all the other activities we are engaged in, Yosemite always holds a special place in our hearts.

Anybody who has been there knows Yosemite in itself is unique. But also for the same reason, I understand that it is not a place for everyone. The twisty winding roads into the park can be gut wrenching for people with motion sickness. Campgrounds are always full. The few hotels in the valley invariably charge their guests lodging as well as for the privilege of using their historical facilities. Plus, you have not been given much time for planning such a trip. So, if you choose not to be there on that day, we will understand whole-heartedly. We will be thinking of you regardless. That said, I also want to tell you that if you do make it, we will be extremely thrilled to have you by our side when we take our vows. So, please do RSVP to let us know whether we will be fortunate enough to share our special day with you.

and Erik

P.S. The much appreciated matchmaker's name is Erik too. I left his name out simply to avoid confusion.

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