Miguel worked for Amy’s family for years before they ever thought about dating. Integrity and trust were important to him, and he didn’t want to ever jeopardize the relationship that he had built with her parents. His own parents had passed away years earlier, which is perhaps why he tried to go above and beyond for them with his time and energy.

But alas, love prevailed and in December of 2021 he finally began to pursue her. Although Amy lived in Lahaina, Maui, they would talk for hours on the phone. She truly didn’t know if it was real until he picked her up from the airport on Jan 10th, 2022 and they had their first embrace.

He too had his doubts. Could this free-spirited, surfer girl really commit to a relationship? Could she change from an ‘I’ to a ‘We’? Does she even know how to salsa dance? And if so, would he loose the Yamaguchi’s trust? His job? He took a pregnant pause, and then soon decided it was worth it and he was all in.

The first 6 months of ’22 where a whirlwind as Amy traveled back and forth every few days between Maui to work and CA to care for her father. Miguel traveled with her to Maui, once to propose to her on her surfboard at Ka’anapali Beach on April 21, and again to help her liquidate her island life of 19 years and move back to her childhood home on June 28, after being gone for 36 years.

Together, they cared for her dad alongside nurses, hospice, caregivers, and Amy’s sister, Kay who would fly back and forth from Honolulu. Their sweet daddio returned from the skilled nursing facility and passed away 6 days later in his own home on July 27th.

Being there for Amy and her father solidified the couple’s bond even more. They moved in together to care for Amy’s mom who is 92 years young. They got a Siberian husky named Nikita. Dear friends gathered with them in Boulder to host and celebrate their engagement.

Make no mistakes, they have their challenges. They couldn’t be more different. Amy’s a trained sushi chef, while Miguel picked up his first chopsticks on their first date. Amy never studied Spanish in school, can’t eat quesadillas, and is lactose intolerant. Sometimes they need to use Google Translate to communicate. Coming from different worlds, their patience is tested time and time again. But every samurai sword is tried and tempered with fire and steal. From their differences, they were able to forge a relationship full of new growth and love.

“We are both honored and humbled that you all took the time out of your lives to celebrate with us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”

Registry