August 13, 2022

Our Story

In August 2017, Francis’s friend, Matt, invited him to a weekly gathering at the Zephyr Institute called “Philosophy Happy Hour.” Francis was surprised to find other (any?) people in Silicon Valley who were interested in discussing the implications of technology for human flourishing. He was especially intrigued by a particular girl there who had strong, yet refreshingly well-formed, opinions on the question. As Francis came to learn that Judy in fact worked at Zephyr, and that they shared not only the same philosophical instincts, but also a love for cinema and good wine, he knew he had to ask her out as soon as it “wasn’t weird” to do so. 

Over the next few months, Wednesday Philosophy Happy Hour became part of Francis’s weekly routine, and he found that his love of … philosophy ;) … grew steadily each week. Though they had become friends, he hadn’t mustered up the courage to ask Judy out. On a weekend trip with friends, he thought his hopes were dashed when she casually mentioned that she and her sister had thought about setting him up with one of their friends. Dismayed, Francis nonetheless resolved to ask her out the next time he saw her, just to be sure. Judy, having a personal rule to always say yes to low-key first-dates, responded with a soft but enthusiastic “yes.”

After a mediocre coffee date (Judy was ambivalent about becoming more than friends), Francis came up with a date idea that he knew would tug at her heartstrings: dinner and the film, Casablanca, at the classic Stanford Theater in Palo Alto. And instead of waiting one whole month for their next date as Judy had requested so that she wouldn’t be distracted while studying for the GMAT (lol), he asked her out after two weeks knowing she would be hard-pressed to say no to Casablanca. He was right. 

Since Casablanca, they have conquered four years of dating, with two graduate programs begun and completed, new jobs and career pivots, many philosophical discussions and movies, and an ever deepening of the friendship they started out with.

We are grateful to you all for supporting us throughout our relationship. And we are most grateful to God, the author of the sacrament of marriage, for blessing us with your presence on our wedding day.