There are two types of relationships: The first is when two people are complete opposites, and the second is when two people share a combination of likes and rituals.

We fall under the second category. We are made for each other.

Our romance begins in a local casual-fine-dining restaurant, owned by a world-renowned chef.

This was not the typical date night, where two people are out for a nice dinner trying to impress one another, but rather, two people working as a team to create memorable service and excellent culinary creations. The humble, dedicated and hard-working executive sous chef, Nolan, teamed with the determined, ambitious and motivated server, me (Brooke). We work together professionally and still manage our personal lives at home in Kaimuki.

We rise early in the mornings to start our day because I work at my day job, merchandising retail. Then, our evenings consist of a late-night Foodland run to prepare a bite to eat, after the restaurant closes.

After our long days of hard work, we set aside our special day, Sunday, each week to enjoy the precious time we have. We believe that vacations are necessary, even if they are minivacations that only occur once a week.

We share similar goals, one of them is to own our own French restaurant someday.

I am currently attending Kapi'olani Community College and working towards an associate's degree in both culinary arts and patisserie, in hopes to gain skill and knowledge to achieve our goal.

Nolan is constantly reading and learning about new and classic French cuisine, and perfecting his style and skill, too. We are both each others' teacher and student because we both have a lot to bring to the table, and we learn many new ideas and techniques from each other as well.

Our romance continues on after falling in love. We have been engaged for several months and we have strong support for each other, from our families and from our friends. When people say, "When you love someone, you just know," well, we now know what that means.

Our similarities work as a strength for us and we have many of the same likes and dislikes.

With that said, our relationship is meant to go the distance because we are such hard workers who just are not able to find the time to plan our special day.

Our connection is true because we believe in each other. We would both give 100 percent each, not 50-50 for this ongoing process of love and marriage.

This is the happiest time in our lives, and we would love to celebrate it and share with not only the Islands and the community but also to our wonderful friends and family.

One of our favorite quotes is from Linda and Charlie Bloom: "Great relationships don't just happen, they are created."

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