The Most Wonderful News on August 16th

It was around 12:00PM today when Margaret called me.

This isn't out of the ordinary, except that Margaret was supposed to be in Paris, France with my brother on a two week long vacation in Europe.

I thought, "Uh-oh. Something happened. My brother probably fell in the Seine river and broke his leg. Or maybe he was hospitalized after having too much foie gras that upset his hyper-sensitive digestive system. Or maybe he got lost wandering around and now she can't find him."

I braced myself for the impending news.

"Hi Karen!" said Margaret.

"Hey Margie. Is everything okay? Are you still in Paris?"

"Yeah. I was just calling to share some news with you. Vince proposed last night."

HUGE sigh of relief. And also a wave of joy.

For those of you who don't know my brother, he and Margaret have been dating for about 9 years now. Yes, my 25 year old brother (26 on September 16), and his girlfriend have been dating since their junior year of high school!

I remember my brother when he was still a high schooler: A geeky and lazy dude who loved rocking a white tee and basketball shorts with the same gel sculpted spike hairdo every single day. He and I weren't very close, but we weren't distant either. We just existed as normal siblings.

I think my perspective of him drastically changed when I began college at UCLA. That is when I really started talking to him like a regular human being and started seeking his advice. Over the years, he has become my role model and my inspiration. Let me take a brief moment to brag about my brother:

He graduated from UCSD Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in  Biochemistry and Cell Biology in June 2007 (a year early!)
He graduated in the top 10% from USC Law School in May 2010
He clerked at the U.S. District Court for Honorable Judge Sammartino in 2010
He became an attorney for Latham and Watkins LLP in 2011
He is clerking AGAIN this coming year

Besides his obvious intelligence and incredible drive to succeed, he is also an amazing brother. He has guided me through some sticky situations in college, practiced consulting cases with me via google hangout, read and re-read my 10+ drafts of Harvard Business School application essays, and provided encouraging (albeit annoying sometimes) reality checks.

My reasons for why I love my brother are countless, and all I can say is that he is awesome. I am so happy that he has found someone wonderful and beautiful (inside and out) with whom to spend the rest of his life. Don't they look perfect?

Congratulations Margaret Trinh and Vincent Chuang!