Circa Fall 2018. Shortly after graduating college in San Francisco, Ana embarked on a 3-month solo backpacking trip to Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, and India. She then (reluctantly) decided to move back home with her parents in Pismo Beach to get grounded and plot her next move. She picked up old her job serving tables at the Sea Venture, not-so patiently awaiting her next adventure. Stephen was a lost soul. After high school, Stephen attended a number of colleges and tried out a variety of careers (DJ and plant science being a few of them). While trying to find his way, Stephen decided to follow in his Grandfather’s footsteps by joining the US Navy. Stephen served nearly 6 years serving our country, traveling via ship on deployment giving aid to underdeveloped countries - a literal dreamboat! Once he completed his duties, Stephen returned to life as a civilian and decided to finish his undergrad at Cal Poly SLO. After her epic backpacking journey, Ana found that moving back home she was bored, slightly depressed and eager to spice things up. What else do 24-year old’s do when looking to get out of the house? Dating apps! She joined Bumble, knowing very well she was not looking for anything serious as she didn’t anticipate living in the Central Coast for long. After a few boring and monotonous dates, Ana matched with Stephen. From his profile pictures she could tell he was adventurous. While she wasn’t necessarily into the military lifestyle, she didn’t have any plans on Thursday and thought, what the hell. After a bit of witty banter, Ana asked Stephen to grab a beer at the Boardroom in Pismo. Stephen was excited! This was his first meet up after joining the app, not knowing that Ana was a pro. The day came. Stephen was impressed that Ana was on time. He was also drawn to her glowing sense of adventure, independence and unique beauty both inside and out. Ana respected the fact that Stephen was so humble while being incredibly handsome – in her opinion, rare to find. In reality, all Stephen had to do was bat those thick beautiful lashes and Ana was hooked. They spent their first date sunset surfing the Pismo Pier, Stephen looked damn good in a wetsuit and Ana tried to not panic as the aggressive Central Coast surf pummeled her into the seabed. The surf sesh was followed by an agreed continuance to grab dinner, however Ana was cold and needed to grab a sweater. This caused Stephen to follow her up to her parents’ house and unintentionally meet Ana’s mother, Maria. Ana was mortified. The last thing she wanted was for this blue-eyed boy to meet her mom on their very first official date, but he had already gotten out of his car and was running up behind her to catch up. It was Maria’s day off, so to little surprise, her and some friends were juiced up during a Thursday happy hour sesh, allowing them to be direct and blunt when asking Stephen his intentions. During the interrogation, Stephen maintained his calm, cool and collected spirit and proved his heart was pure, his intentions were authentic, and he was just a man in search of love. He instantly got mom’s approval. The couple fell very hard, very fast and within 5 months of knowing each other, moved into their very first home in San Luis Obispo. 4 moves, 3 years, 2 hearts and 1 puppy later, Stephen popped the big Q! The rest is history!

Stephen and Ana have a secret date spot along the desolate beach in Montana de Oro National Park. They have many fun, spicy & beautiful memories there; it was also the place Stephen first realized he was in L-O-V-E! 9/10/21. Ana had a rough day. Stephen received a job offer in San Diego, and the couple was packing up their home, prepping for the move. While Ana usually thrives during times of change, she knew she was leaving behind her book of business and essentially starting over in her friendships and career, leaving her anxious and emotional. She began to cry, setting herself up perfectly for what Stephen had already planned. To make her day a little brighter, Stephen suggested going to MDO for a sushi sunset sesh. They had the entire beach to themselves. Stephen opened a bottle of wine, they talked about their future and laughed until the moon had risen. Out of nerves, Stephen waited until after dark to finally pop the big Q. While packing up their belongings, Ana turned around to see Stephen on one knee and realized what was about to happen. This was IT! While Stephen had an incredibly romantic speech, Ana didn’t hear a thing, as all she could say was “Shut the f up”, “You’re kidding”, “OMG OMG OMG” followed by “Hold on, I can’t even see the ring”. Luckily, it was everything Ana had ever wanted (he listens!) and the two spent the rest of the year in pure bliss. The perfect start to a new adventure.