Ricky and Mikala met at Calvary Community Church. ..........

Every Sunday, Ricky sat in the front row with his friends, Chantal and Ben. One Sunday, Mikala and her mom, Ann, sat right behind them, and Ricky noticed her immediately. To this day, he says it's the only time he has ever been excited when the pastor asked everyone to "take a few minutes to say good morning to your neighbors." It was the perfect excuse to introduce himself, because flirting during the 9:00 a.m. church service was a little outside his comfort zone. Meanwhile, Mikala left that morning thinking she’d simply met a nice guy from church. She wasn’t looking for a relationship and had no idea Ricky was interested. Had Ricky opened with a pickup line that morning, this story probably would’ve been much shorter. Fortunately for both of them, Ricky’s approach was much more subtle.

A short time later, Ricky asked Mikala if she'd like to attend the church's Young Adults (YA) service with him on a Thursday evening. Mikala was already going to the YA service every Thursday and assumed Ricky was just being friendly. Ironically, they never actually made it to a YA service together, but Ricky did successfully get her phone number. Ricky regrets nothing.

After a few attempts to coordinate schedules, Ricky finally invited Mikala, her mom Ann, Chantal, and Ben to brunch after church at Finney's in Westlake Village. It was the perfect, low-pressure opportunity for everyone to get to know one another. Ricky continued pursuing her over the next few months, finding every opportunity to see her again, whether it was hiking, hot yoga, coffee, or really anything that meant spending a little more time together. This also included volunteering his time at not one, not two, but THREE garage sales (yes, THREE) during what Mikala affectionately calls the “friendzone” era. Considering Ricky was not known for his love of garage sales, quite the opposite, actually, those three character-building garage sales were some of the earliest signs that Ricky was in it for the long haul. Every “date” (according to Ricky) or “friend hangout” (according to Mikala) revealed more of who he was: dependable, thoughtful, and always willing to show up.

Like any great pursuit, this one required a support team. Ricky's friends listened while he overanalyzed text messages, encouraged him when he questioned whether Mikala felt the same way, and even sent him messages whenever they spotted her at church. By the time Ricky and Mikala officially started dating, there wasn't a friend in Ricky's life who didn't already know exactly who she was.

About eight months into their "hangouts," or dating, depending on who you ask, Ricky volunteered at a filming for the nonprofit Life Rolls On. While there, he met Lacey Chabert (a Hallmark Channel actress). Because he had dinner plans with Mikala that evening, he told Lacey he had to leave early to meet his girlfriend. Knowing Mikala was a Hallmark fan and would appreciate the story, Ricky called her on the way home and announced, "Well... I told Lacey Chabert you're my girlfriend, so I guess it's official now."

Whether or not Mikala agreed at the time, Ricky (and, apparently, Lacey Chabert) consider January 31, 2025, the day they officially became boyfriend and girlfriend. Even now, they both jokingly debate when they actually started dating. Mikala still laughs that Ricky managed to make their relationship “official” in the most Ricky way possible.

Over the following year, they traveled, explored new places, hiked countless trails, cooked together, discovered new restaurants, spent time with family, volunteered together, tackled landscaping projects, and built a relationship filled with laughter, friendship, and unforgettable memories. As they continued building a life together, Ricky began quietly planning the next chapter of their story. He designed a custom engagement ring and somehow managed to keep it hidden for four months while waiting for his planned surprise road trip. Mikala knew they were going somewhere for the weekend, but assumed that they were either going a couple of hours north or south. In true Ricky fashion, they drove 7.5 hours east to an Airbnb just outside Zion National Park called Elevation 40.

Then came April 23, 2026.

After a day exploring Zion and a few minor disagreements, one of which involved Ricky’s “completely reasonable” decision to buy TEN landscaping boulders while Mikala questioned whether his car would survive the drive home (which has since become one of their favorite stories), Ricky suggested taking a few photos together among the red rocks at the Airbnb.

He set up a tripod and told Mikala he was setting a ten-second timer... but apparently, this was another situation where Ricky had a slightly different plan in mind. Instead, the camera was secretly recording in 4K video. After a convincing timer countdown, Ricky dropped to one knee, revealing that the “photos” were actually capturing the moment he had been planning for months. Mikala said yes almost immediately, which Ricky considered especially encouraging after they'd managed to squeeze a couple of disagreements and ten landscaping boulders into the same day.

Their engagement photos, along with the video of that unforgettable moment, can be found in the gallery on this website.

When Ricky and Mikala look back on their story now, they can both see God’s faithfulness woven throughout every chapter. Ricky remembers praying for a woman like Mikala and finding the courage to introduce himself that Sunday morning. Mikala remembers discovering that behind Ricky’s persistence was someone who loved deeply, served others wholeheartedly, and never stopped making her laugh. Together, they’ve built their relationship on faith, friendship, adventure, and a whole lot of laughter.

They can't wait to begin this next chapter together and are so grateful to celebrate it with the people they love most.