It all started here.

It was the first day of school. Kristin had just finished moving in to her room on the 2nd floor of Sanfilippo at Santa Clara University. She thought it might be nice to check on her friend Danny, who was downstairs. Danny wasn't there, but John was...sitting on the floor attempting to assemble Ikea furniture. The rest is history.

Actually, a lot has happened since that first day they met. John and Kristin came to be fast friends pretty quickly...the kind of friends that you make almost instantly and have a super intense connection with. After a few months, they realized there was a bit more to their friendship and began dating on November 2nd, 2008.

The engagement.

Whether exploring a new country or exploring a new Chinese restaurant, one of John and Kristin’s favorite things to do is go on adventures together. So when Kristin’s younger sister decided to study abroad in Italy, they knew they would visit.

The couple first visited their friend Danny (yes, the same Danny!) in Sacile, then went to Venice. A train brought them from Venice through Milan all the way to Monterosso al Mare, one of the five towns that make up Cinque Terre.

The morning after their late arrival (and missed check-in), the two enjoyed a wonderful brunch by the ocean, then mistakingly went on a very intense hike to Vernazza, the next town over. Thanks to Rick Steves, they now know to plan ahead.

The trail took them by a few awesome spots (including a homeless cat shelter), and then into the town where a quick dip in the ocean was followed by pizza and wine by the water. As they laughed and reflected on their previous experience of the hike, Kristin spots the ruins of an old castle and decides they must check it out.

As Kristin is taking “sweet pics of awesome views,” John recruits a nearby Italian man to hold his GoPro and waits for Kristin to come back. He got down on one knee, pulled out a beautiful ring, and simply asked, “Will you marry me?”

Kristin questioned, "Are you sure?” And John smiled and said, “Of course I’m sure.” The GoPro volunteer start humming the tune of Wedding March and the rest of the small crowd that had formed started clapping and cheering. It was awesome.