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TIFFANY'S STORY
ROLANDO'S STORY
THE STORY OF US ACCORDING TO HER... Since we worked closely together I figured nothing was going to happen. Over the months we became friends and on a Monday in the fall we discovered that we both liked the same football team after I remarked that it had been a good weekend because the Chargers had won the day before. I guess I should have suspected something was brewing since Rolando would always come by my desk to ask me a question he could have easily conveyed on a phone call or email. In January, we were both part of a team traveling to Carson City, NV to visit a supplier. Our usual routine for visiting this supplier consisted of flying into Reno the night before and driving to Carson City in the morning. There were 7 of us traveling together and we had 3 rental cars due to different arrival times. Since it was really cold out, the drivers went to get the cars and picked the rest of us up in front of the lobby. The SUV quickly filled up with 3 passengers and their luggage. That left our field guy driving one car and Rolando driving the other. Beth, one of the engineers traveling with us, said that she would ride with the field guy so I should go in the closest car which was the one Rolando was driving. We ended up talking the whole drive! I felt like I was with someone I had known my entire life. It was easy and comfortable. Two days after we got back, Rolando asked me out to lunch. I agreed because I was intrigued, but I figured lunch would be it and I wasn’t going to let things progress with a coworker... But my plan was foiled. Sitting across from him was the most natural feeling I had ever experienced in my life. And something told me this was it...
ACCORDING TO HIM... As time went on, we would chat here and there. I never thought anything of it because we worked on the same program. One day we were walking to a meeting and she mentioned that she’d had a great weekend because the San Diego Chargers won. Right then and there, I fell in love with her because I am a huge Chargers fan. Our small talk continued for a few more months until we went on a business trip together. During the trip we had to drive to a supplier located about one hour from our hotel. All through the drive we had a long conversation and got to know one another better. From that day, I realized I was smitten by her. When we came back from the trip, I wanted to ask her out but had to build up enough courage. A couple days later, I was sitting at my desk and finally decided it was time. I typed up a short message on instant messenger asking her out to lunch. Then I stared at it nervously for an hour. Finally, I pressed enter and sent the message. Immediately, I started saying to myself, “What an idiot! I can’t believe you just asked her out.” I then proceeded to wait for about five minutes before I received a response. It turns out that during those five minutes, Tiffany was frantically asking her sister’s advice about what to do over instant messenger. Her sister told her to go for it because it was only lunch. So Tiffany replied with a yes. We had our lunch date the next week at PF Chang’s. Before the meal, I was feeling a little nervous, but our conversation ended up flowing as easily as it had during our trip. We both automatically knew that we were meant for one another. Shortly after our lunch outing, we began seriously dating. We did not let anyone at work know for about six months since we wanted to keep things professional. In meetings, we wouldn’t even make eye contact with each other. The first coworker to find out about us ran into us at a mall over 60 miles from work! Most coworkers had no idea we were dating and only found out when we got engaged.
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Tiffany was born in Saigon, Vietnam. At only 75-days-old, she left with her parents, Chin and Dieu, and extended family to seek new opportunities in the United States. They eventually settled in San Diego where Tiffany grew up with two younger sisters, Thao and Tien. Tiffany attended the University of San Diego and majored in Business Administration with an emphasis in Supply Chain Management and a minor in English. After graduating with honors in 2000, she accepted a buyer position with a leading aerospace company in El Segundo, CA and relocated to Los Angeles. Recently, Tiffany transitioned within the same company and joined the newly developed Knowledge Management team which works as internal consultants on company projects and initiatives. In her free time, Tiffany enjoys traveling, reading, watching movies, spending time with family and friends, and trying out new recipes on willing participants. One of her most recent trips was to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (a birthday present from her fiancé). 
Rolando was born in Lompoc, CA. on Vandenberg Air Force Base. As the son of a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Rolando had the opportunity to live all over the United States and even Panama. Rolando is the oldest of two. His sister, Cristina, currently lives in Austin, TX. with her husband, Angel. After Rolando graduated high school in San Juan, Puerto Rico he joined the U.S. Army as a Black Hawk and Apache helicopter crew chief. Rolando served six years in the military, including a one and a half year deployment to South Korea. He then went on to obtain a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering. Last year, Rolando completed a company sponsored Masters of Science in Quality Engineering program and is currently pursuing a second masters in Systems Engineering at Loyola Marymount University. Rolando currently works in Los Angeles, CA as a Quality Engineer and resides in Sun City, CA. His hobbies include watching and playing sports and doing outdoor activities.
