Christine had moved to California from Georgia just 7 months before meeting Antone. She had taken a dream job in Marketing at Monterey Bay Aquarium, but was struggling to meet her man. One August summer night, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Capitola was hosting a young adults event for young Catholics in the Diocese. Christine was on the prowl, so she drove 40 minutes north to scope out the event. Antone just wanted a good meal that night. Christine spotted him from across the way, sitting at an empty table. She sat next to him, and for the next hour they engaged in deep conversation. They were then separated for trivia, and Christine pulled a Cinderella disappearing into the night without dropping the crystal shoe. Antone spent the next week and a half searching for Christine’s phone number; he even called her employer and asked the general line to connect them, but to no avail. They finally reconnected in the Slack channel that was created for the group. Antone asked her out, and on their first date, he took her on a coastal walk in Carmel-by-the-Sea, followed by Mass at the Carmel Mission and dinner. Her idea of a perfect first date.

While in Georgia for July 4th, Antone conspired with Christine’s family to take her parents to dinner unbeknownst to Christine to gain their permission for her hand in marriage. After gaining the Lacayo's permission, Antone spent many days thinking of how and where he would ask her. He decided on Big Sur, but as he started to think about the logistics, God had other plans. Going to bed one night thinking about the proposal, he had a dream that he had proposed to Christine on a bench in the courtyard of the Carmel Mission, where they had gone on their first date and had a difficult conversation early in their courtship. The change of plans meant that they went to Big Sur the morning of, going for a hike in the redwoods and spending several hours at the beach, where Christine froze in the chilly Monterey County marine layer. They then changed for Mass and headed for the Carmel Mission. After Mass, Antone took her into the courtyard where they sat on that same bench from the early days. This time, he got down on bended knee and proposed! Christine said yes, obviously! They ended the night with a delicious and romantic dinner at Anton & Michel in Carmel-by-the-Sea. They later found out that this particular bench, where Antone proposed, is dedicated to Mr. Mahlon and Majorie Coleman for their 50 years of God's blessing, their fruitful marriage.