Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery
What have these two lovebirds been up to in the past year? Why, wedding planning of course! You already knew that, though. So what does a day in the life of these two look like? Kathy and Jay currently live together in an apartment in the heart of Flushing, New York.
During the weekdays, Jay is an adjunct lecturer at CUNY Queens College. After graduating from St. John’s University with a degree in Chemistry, Jay earned his Masters degree in Chemistry at Queens College. With two years of teaching under his belt, he is now looking to pursue his PhD in Chemistry.
Kathy is currently volunteering at a non-profit organization called KCS. She graduated from Fordham University with a Finance degree. After working about three years at a logistics company, Liberty Global Logistics, she left the company to pursue a Masters in Secondary Education.
“It’s been a crazy ride,” Kathy commented while sending off job applications online, “but I know I will eventually find something I love.”
During the weekends, despite having been together for almost ten years, the couple still enjoys taking long walks in the park and going on movie dates. They spend their Sundays serving at New Vision Covenant Church as part of the worship team. Jay works behind the scenes controlling the slides while Kathy is up front supporting the praise band.
There is never a dull moment with this couple. During the evenings, they enjoy playing Minecraft together, escaping the real world to create their own.
Jay and Kathy met in the summer of 2007. They were attending a mutual friend’s birthday party. Jay was chatting with some friends until the doorbell rang. It was Kathy arriving to the party a little bit late. As she stepped in, she and Jay locked eyes for what seemed like an entire minute. It was love at first sight. In an interview, the couple was asked to describe their first encounter:
Jay: My first thought was “Oh! Pretty girl! And food!”
Kathy couldn’t finish half of her dinner and had taken it home for later. Jay knew that the other half of her meals were meant for him. After that day, Kathy obtained Jay’s AIM screen-name and proceeded to get to know him more. “He was so cool back then,” Kathy explained, “because his phone could go online and message people on AIM. That was revolutionary at the time! Now his phone can barely load Facebook.” One month later, the couple had their first date. It involved pizza, Snapple, and a movie.
It was a hot summer day; in fact, the hottest day of the year. The meteorologists had advised their viewers to stay inside for the day, but local rebel Jay Ho had something else in mind. He dragged his long time girlfriend, Kathy Li, to Oakland Lake in Bayside for a stroll around the park. Little did she know, a miraculous thing was about to happen. After 9 long years of patience, Kathy was finally going to get a proposal. As the hot sun was beating down on the dark tar paved road, Kathy was sure their shoes were going to melt - until she heard something.
It sounded like someone was playing music in the park. As they rounded the bend towards Jay’s favorite little stream, Kathy asked, “Is someone having a party?” Suddenly there was a sinking feeling in her stomach as they continued walking down the path. “Oh no!” Kathy cried as she was met by a comp-any of friends wielding bunches of balloons. That was how they got engaged when Jay proposed to Kathy on July 23, 2016.