Elijah and Jen met as all modern day couples do: Hinge. Both had just moved from Texas to San Diego (Elijah moved from Houston for his job and Jen moved from Austin to be closer to her family) and were both looking for someone special to explore San Diego with. In response to Elijah’s posted prompt: “I’ll know you’re the one if you remember when the Patriots came back from 28-0 to win the Super Bowl,” Jen responded: “It’s me, I’m the one.” While this might have scared off some, Elijah was intrigued. They had their first date on Monday November 8th, 2021 at a Sab Lai Thai in Gaslamp. As dinner wrapped up neither wanted the night to end, so they headed to El Chignon for “just one drink”. “Just one drink” quickly unfolded into training for a half marathon, exploring San Diego restaurants, and evenings walking along the harbor with the world’s best dog, Koda. Elijah’s love for Jen outweighed his allergies to dogs, and in the summer of 2022 Austin joined the pack. Soon after, they decided to move in together and moved to a house in Imperial Beach. Both to give the doods their own backyard and to give Elijah an excuse to buy a Traeger. With a mix of Jen’s love of hosting and Elijah’s love of brisket their house quickly became the spot for all cook outs. In early 2024, they faced one of their hardest challenges as a couple…Koda became paralyzed and unable to walk or use the bathroom on his own. Facing an impossible choice they decided to give Koda a second chance at life and put their energy into rehabbing him. They realized that together as a team and with the right attitude anything was possible. Through their relentless devotion, love and prayer, Koda regained his ability to walk. Elijah told Jen his dream was to become an Aviator and serve his country in the Marine Corps. Together they decided to “embrace the adventure” that is a career in the military. After spending 9 months apart while Elijah was training in Quantico, Jen and “the doods” moved to Pensacola, FL. On August 30th, Elijah and Jen got engaged in the Florida Keys. Over the last four years they have shared countless trips together, faced the ups and downs of life and together kept their love of working out and food a focal point of their relationship. We cant wait to share more of our love story during our wedding weekend in Rosemary Beach!