11 Years Later...

Joey and Christine were students at Rice for three years and had heard of each other. Rumor has it that Joey would come to Christine’s work shifts sometimes because he thought she was cute. They first formally met when Joey applied for a job at the coffee shop Christine ran. He was hired for the fall, but came by every day that summer to try to convince Christine that he deserved free coffee or was ready to use the espresso machine. Christine was not impressed.

After months of being friends, Joey and Christine decided to go on a date. It was quite unconventional; big surprise! They drove Joey’s Volvo around the Gulf Coast making a variety of stops including Buc-ee’s and a beach where they acquired a Christmas tree that had been abandoned. They listened to Bruce Springsteen's “Born in the USA” multiple times and discussed their mutual love of “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac. They even got into a minor fender bender. At the end of the date, neither of them were sure where it was headed, but they knew that it had been one of the most interesting dates ever.

Christine and Joey both graduated, dated distance for a year, and then moved to the Bay Area. They've called Oakland home for 8+ years, have had a range of jobs, seen Thee Oh Sees in concerts more times than even Joey can keep track of, traveled to a lot of crazy places, adopted an amazing dog, and met a ton of the best humans in the world. They've owned two white Volkswagens with stick shifts, three French presses, and more pieces of art made by their friends than any one couple deserves. At some point, they realized they were ready to take the next step and sign a contract that says they like each other a lot.