About Misono
Misono Yokoyama was born to Yuji and Michiko Yokoyama on Christmas Day of 1982 in Queens, New York. After three years in New York City, she moved with her family to Washington, D.C., and then to Northern Virginia, where she was raised for most of her childhood and adolescent years.
Misono graduated with honors from Virginia Tech in May 2007, with a B.F.A. in Graphic Design and a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication. During her five years at the university, she was actively involved as an officer in organizations such as the Asian American Student Union, the Japanese Cultural Association, Silhouette Literary & Arts Magazine, and Virginia Tech Union, among others. Upon graduating, she moved to the East Bay of California and is currently employed at Waxcreative Design, a web design firm in Oakland.
She is a die-hard fan of Hokie football, despite not fully comprehending the rules of the sport to this day. Misono enjoys baking, art museums, going to the beach, watching movies, board games, and most of all a night at home with good company.
photograph by Deb Sherman Photography
About Dan
Daniel Ken Allen was born in Englewood, New Jersey, to Michael and Kikuno Allen in December 1982. During his childhood, he lived with his family in New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland, before ultimately moving to Northern California in 1996.
Dan graduated from San Francisco State University in May 2008 with a B.A. in Cinema. He, his brother, and his friend have co-founded VerusPro, a video production venture.
Dan's many hobbies include watching movies, hanging out with friends, electronics, computers, and car modification.
The Proposal
November 11, 2007 · San Lorenzo, CA
Misono came home utterly exhausted from a long day at work, and was about to eat dinner when Dan insisted that they play a "game" in her room. To tell the truth, Misono wasn't in the best mood for a game, but at Dan's insistence, she obliged. It was basically a scavenger hunt: he gave her a clue to begin with to a location within the room, and there she found a photo from around the time they first met and were starting to get to know each other. On the back was a description of their relationship back then, and how Dan had felt about her at the time, followed by a clue to where the next photo would be. So it continued in that manner for about half an hour, with around ten photos altogether, each of special memories that stood out throughout their time together in chronological order, each with a sweet caption accompanying it. Misono was really touched by all the effort Dan had put into the project, but wasn't really sure where it was all leading... she asked if there was a prize, and he said yes... she asked if it was yummy, and he said yes, so the whole time Misono expected that the game would lead to some scrumptious delicacy waiting for her at the end of the hunt.
So one can imagine Misono's surprise and initial confusion when the last photo read, "Look next to your bed," and after searching all over her cluttered night stand found an unfamiliar small box. Her first thought when she looked at it was, I went through all this trouble for a dessert this dinky? ... but then opened it and found a small square jewelry box nested within. Misono was at a loss for words when she opened the case to find a beautiful diamond engagement ring. Dan got on his knee, and said, "This is the last piece of the puzzle... all you have to say is yes." And of course, everyone knows what her tearful answer was.
photograph by Lilia Photography