Our Story
Some love stories begin with a glance across a crowded room; ours began with a notification.
Yuen-Jing had just traded the operating rooms of Hawaii for a new attending post in Chicagoland, fresh from residency and full of quiet ambition. Yanqing, meanwhile, had built a steady life in IT — patient, deliberate, and ready for something true.
As their conversations deepened, the world seemed to fold in on itself: he had once worn an Army uniform on the same Hawaiian islands where she had later learned to save lives. Their paths had nearly touched, parted only by time. Still, they found themselves reminiscing over the same islands: the quiet beauty of those shores, the personal growth each had earned while living there, and, of course, the kind of food scene you can never quite leave behind. And then, on Valentine's Day, within the soft walls of the home they were beginning to share, Yanqing spoke the words of Mr. Darcy from her beloved “Pride and Prejudice” and asked her to be his forever. The Yes came easily — the easiest she has ever given.
We're engaged!
Bellevue Botanical Garden, Bellevue, WA
Apr 2026
This garden is one of our favorite places to wander on a free afternoon. So when it came time for engagement photos, we knew exactly where to come back to — in spring, when everything is in bloom.
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A bench for two
Bellevue Botanical Garden, Bellevue, WA
Apr 2026
This garden is one of our favorite places to wander on a free afternoon. So when it came time for engagement photos, we knew exactly where to come back to — in spring, when everything is in bloom.
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Among the azaleas
Bellevue Botanical Garden, Bellevue, WA
Apr 2026
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Spring in bloom
Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL
May 2025
We love visiting botanical gardens together. This one was taken in Chicago — the city where we met.
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Penglai Pavilion
Penglai Pavilion, Yantai
Feb 2025
We spent our second Chinese New Year together in my hometown of Yantai. This was taken at Penglai Pavilion — one of China's Four Great Towers, perched on a seaside cliff and famous in legend as the place where the Eight Immortals crossed the sea.
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Lunar New Year in Qingzhou
Qingzhou, China
Jan 2025
Taken at a museum in Qingzhou, while visiting my grandmother for Chinese New Year.
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Rattlesnake Ledge
Rattlesnake Ledge, WA
Jul 2024
We love to hike. Rattlesnake Ledge is one of the most popular trails in the greater Seattle area — this was taken at the top, looking down over Rattlesnake Lake.
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Above the city
Space Needle, Seattle
Jun 2024
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Peonies by the pier
Pike Place Market, Seattle
Jun 2024
Taken at Pike Place Market — one of our favorite places to wander, for the snacks, the flowers, and all the handmade things.
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Cave Hike
Starved Rock State Park, IL
Mar 2024
Taken at the end of a trail leading to a waterfall in Starved Rock State Park, Illinois.
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