Elizabeth and Jake met on April 9, 2022, at a volleyball tournament in Mission Beach, San Diego. The two played against each other during pool play and immediately started bantering across the net. Jake decided this was the perfect opportunity to show off a little and beat her team. After the game, Elizabeth walked up to him, said “great game,” and asked, “Whatcha drinking?” Jake responded with, “Try it.” Unfortunately for Elizabeth, it was Malört. While her facial expression said everything, she took it like a champ — and instantly won Jake over. Their first date was on May 4, 2022, at Coin-Op in North Park, where they spent the entire night talking, playing arcade games, and getting way too competitive over Star Wars pinball (because May the 4th) and Mortal Kombat — though Jake still claims he “let her win.” That night, they talked about family, volleyball, music, traveling, and how they both dreamed of visiting Japan someday. The connection between them was instant, unexpected, and honestly a little intimidating in the best way possible. On August 28, 2022, they officially started dating, and both knew this was something special. Since then, they’ve built a life filled with beach volleyball, music festivals, late-night adventures, lots of travel, and an endless amount of laughter. Then, on November 4, 2025, Jake proposed to Elizabeth in front of Mt. Fuji during the very trip they had talked about on their first date years before. Turns out, some dreams are even better when you get to live them together. 💜✨