Oceanside Pier, San Diego Photoshoot

My dear friends and the couple behind Chus’ Life will soon be celebrating their wedding anniversary. It seems not long ago when Tiffany called me up to tell me she just started dating and in excitement, we planned for a date so that I could meet Michael in person. I was in my senior year of college and I remember being pretty gung-ho about grilling this guy and determining whether or not he’d be a good fit for my best friend. I was ready to grill him and to nitpick at his answers because I couldn’t have just anyone date my best friend.

I think what surprised me most was that Michael wasn’t the kind of guy I was expecting him to be when he showed up. He was rather quiet and reserved in demeanor; the questions that I had prepared to ask him resulted with simple answers and to be frank, I found his answers to be a bit disappointing due to the lack of detail (or what I judged to be rather general and unspecific).

All I really remember about that night was that I ended up doing most of the talking and while I couldn’t really find anything wrong about Michael by the time it was over, in the back of my mind, I questioned whether he would be able to lead Tiffany spiritually and to take care of her. He didn’t seem to be the “leader type” in my opinion. (Random side note: Ironically, years later, Michael blogged about this topic here.)

Thankfully, my first impression and judgment about Michael and whether they were going to work out were all premature.

Over the years, as I continued to hang out with Tiffany and Michael, I couldn’t help but notice not only the way these two loved and served one another, but also how they sacrificially loved upon me.

Even on this recent trip down to San Diego, I was taken aback at their thoughtfulness and care — from little things like setting up my guest room so that it felt like I was at a five star hotel to treating me to eat various kinds of yummy foods that they knew I’d love to try; or listening to my trials and joys and being down to play my favorite board game. Their genuine heart for serving others and their transparency in sharing about the challenges and joys in their marriage (in person and on their blog) leads me to pray that one day my marriage would be just as God-honoring.

So happy, happy anniversary to you both, my dear friends! I love you guys very much. ♥

You can also find more photos from this photoshoot on their blog.

Here are some of my other favorite posts from them:

• Being a Leader in my Marriage when I’m not the “Leader Type”
• Learning to Leave and Cleave While Honoring My Parents
• Breakfast in Taiwan | Fall in Love With Soymilk
• Chus’ A Year of Dates | January
• Surround Yourself With Joy | Decluttering with the KonMari Method