How We Met

Mutual friends introduced Tyler and Jenn to each other in Fall 2003 at the University of Southern California. The couple became fast friends over (unmentionable) Don Hertzfeldt shorts, pancakes at 4:00 a.m., underground games of pool, and half-baked physics hastily scribbled out on the nearest available surface. They started dating March 13, 2004 after an impromptu kiss at the start of spring break.

Engagement

On June 30th, 2007, Tyler proposed at the Smythe Brothers Amphitheater in Latern Bay Park, Dana Point, California. The engagement ring was a sapphire with a reverse cradle ring setting from de Signet International in New York.

Click on the picture tiles below to see larger images.

	The Smythe Brothers Amphitheater.
	A view of Latern Bay Park just after exiting the car.
	As a part of their trip to the area, Tyler and Jenn indulged in a day at the beach.

Tyler and the McHenry-Allison Families

Stephen Tyler McHenry was born to Stephen Michael McHenry and Marjorie (Allison) McHenry on August 16, 1984. Stephen is a retired insurance adjuster and avid amateur pool player, and Marjorie is an elementary school substitute teacher. Tyler has one younger sister Rachel, who will be starting her second year majoring in French Language and Literature at Boston University in Fall 2008.

Historical Context

The McHenry family has lived primarily in the Philadelphia area since the 19th century after emigrating from Ireland. Owing to Roman Catholic hertitage, the extended McHenry family is quite large. Tyler's paternal grandparents have 32 desecendants and counting, and there are many other relatives of various degrees living mostly throughout eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The Allison family is from Lackawana county in northeastern Pennsylvania, with Welsh, German, and Irish roots.

Jenn and the Mishina-Adams Families

Born October 13, 1984, Jennifer Lynne Mishina is the daughter of Reynold Mitsuo Mishina and Faith Noel (Adams) Mishina. Faith is an instructor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and she is currently finishing a Doctorate of Modern Languages (DML) at Middlebury Language Schools. Rey is an agent at Clark Realty. He has two additional children by the late Patricia Louise Newman: James Michael Mishina and Holly Suzanne Hinh, who teaches and lives in Bakersfield, California.

Historical Context

During the nineteenth century, wealthy agricultural plantations brought a large contingent of foreign labor to the islands of Hawaii. The Mishina-Kimitsuka family immigrated from Japan as a part of this movement, and they have since lived in Hawaii for several generations. When Jennifer's great-grandparents passed away, grandma Mariane Hatsue (Kimitsuka) Mishina set up a retail clothing business with her husband and supported nine brothers and sisters, as well as three children. Mariane, now 93 years old, is currently the oldest living member of the Mishina family and is retired on the Big Island.

The Adams family and its ancestors have a colorful history, never setting roots down in any one particular place for more than one or two generations. They are primarily of Welsh and Irish descent. However, a cursory investigation indicates they have moved to or from Missouri, Indiana, Arizona, West Virginia, Kansas, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, China, Japan, England, and Germany. Jennifer's mother, one of three siblings, grew up in Hokkaidō, Japan and speaks better Japanese than her Japanese husband--a fact which continues to confuse Japanese everywhere.

A Brief Picture Gallery

Since they first met, Tyler and Jenn have shared many adventures together. click on the picture tiles below to load larger images

	May 2004. Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles, CA. An early photo of Tyler and Jenn together.
	November 2004. Porterville, CA. Tyler meets some of Jenn's family at Thanksgiving.
	January 2005. Abington, PA. Tyler, Jenn, and Rachel toasting in the New Year.
	March 2005. Waipio Valley, HI. Tyler, Jenn, and Jenn's mom, Faith, enjoy the scenic view.
	March 2005. Hilo, HI. Tyler is introduced to the local shave ice.
	March 2005. Hilo, HI. A group shot of Jenn's parents with Tyler and Jenn
	April 2005. Los Angeles, CA. Tyler and Jenn adopt a cat. Through bizarre happenstance, he is named Snuo.
	October 2005. Los Angeles, CA. The couple is decked out to celebrate a birthday at the Water Grill, sometimes acclaimed as "the best seafood in Southern California."
	March 2006. Hilo, Hawaii. Part of the McHenry family makes a sojourn to Hilo, where they invite Tyler and Jenn to join them for dinner.
	May 2006. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. Tyler receives a congratulatory kiss at his graduation.
	September 2006. San Diego Zoo, San Diego, CA. Another shot of the couple.
	October 2006. Los Angeles, CA. Tyler finds a starving kitten under the dumpster located at the back of their apartment building. The "small cat" is adopted and becomes a fifteen pound monster named Silas.
	December 2006. Los Angeles, CA. Tyler and Jenn celebrate their first Christmas at home.
	August 2007. Disneyland, CA.