Late in 2010 we reconnected after years of quiet admiration and secret high school crushes. At the time Matt was living in Martinez while Shea was in San Diego, but we decided long distance was worth it on December 16, 2010. A year and a half later Matt moved down to San Diego to live with Shea while she was in college at USD. There we built a life together in our small apartment while Matt ran a record store and Shea finished college as a Visual Arts Major. Six years later on New Years Day of 2016 we packed up our apartment and drove with our furry troublemaker, Lucy, back to the Bay Area. January of 2020 was when we found our perfect apartment in downtown Martinez which has resulted in traditions of Sunday morning walks to the farmer’s market followed by brunch cocktails at our favorite bar, Barrel Aged.

After being on secret errands for most of the day, Matt suggested we pick up pizza and go for a walk later in the evening. Once the air began to cool we took a sunset walk downtown which ended along the beautiful Martinez waterfront. After several minutes we paused and on the ground was an “X” marked with railroad spikes. This was where Matt proposed, and Shea’s exclamation of “Of course!” was accompanied by the popping of champagne and cheers belonging to two of our close friends whom Matt had planted to photograph the proposal. Upon returning to our apartment Matt knocked on our door, and Shea was surprised once again by several more friends who had snuck in and set up a substantial amount of treats along with more champagne, ready to begin the celebration.