I don't think either of us ever imagined meeting "the one" on a dating app, but we're both so glad we gave it a shot! In fact, I was Caleb's first and last Hinge date. He was my third and last, and boy was I glad I met him when I did, because online dating is scary and weird. Anyways, I messaged him after seeing his profile, which pictured him with a very, very cute puppy. Not long into our conversation, he confessed that his profile picture was actually of him and his sister's dog, Boone. I was a little bummed to learn that he was not the owner of an adorable puppy, and that the puppy lived in Kentucky, but we seemed to have a lot in common so I said yes when he asked me out on a date. We met up on a Friday night at Mike Hess Brewing in North Park. We ordered two fruity sours and sat across from each other at a table, sipping our drinks and talking about our families, childhoods, chosen career paths, traveling, baseball, and, most importantly, our favorite foods. The next thing we knew, it was last call and we realized that it had been FOUR hours! We wrapped up our conversation and ordered our Ubers. Right after I climbed into mine, Caleb texted me apologizing that he hadn't asked if I had needed food. That's when I knew that I had met someone special. Our second date was the following week. Caleb picked me up from my house and drove me to Coronado where we ate at a very fancy Italian restaurant. We ate bread, ordered wine and pasta - the whole experience! It was getting close to Christmas so the restaurant was beautifully decorated. It was the perfect night. That next weekend, I went home for Thanksgiving but Caleb and I talked every single day. We went out a few more times when I got back, and then I went home again for Christmas - this time for four weeks. We still talked every day, and even FaceTimed occasionally. By January, I was itching to get back to San Diego to spend more time with him.

I ended up changing my flight to San Diego so that I could come back earlier than I had originally planned. I still had some time off from school and wanted to take advantage of any free time to see Caleb. When he asked if I wanted to go on a weekend trip to Disneyland with him, I knew I was falling for him fast. He picked me up early in the morning and we drove to Anaheim. We got to the park early and rode ride after ride - we had a blast! We ate dinner at the Blue Bayou Restaurant, which is something I had always wanted to do growing up. As we strolled through Disney, we talked about what dating meant to us, our values, expectations, etc. It was such a good conversation and I knew then that we were very compatible. We stayed in the park until it got dark, leaving only after the water and fireworks show was long over and the rides were closing. A few days after we got back, I went over to Caleb's apartment to hang out with him and his roommate. I think we were both still in awe at how much fun we had together at Disney. That night was the first night we actually talked about what was going on between us. I remember sitting on the couch and asking Caleb something like, "So do you consider me your girlfriend or like...?" Hah! I have always been the more direct one... And just like that, we officially decided that we were going to be each other's boyfriend/girlfriend.

Just as the novel coronavirus was beginning to become a very big and scary thing in the US (especially California), Caleb was getting ready to leave on the boat for two weeks. It was the first time we were going to be apart from one another since Christmas, and I think we were both a little worried about only being able to send each other emails. The day after Caleb left, things got bad. Everything started shutting down, and, just as I'm sure you all remember, people started stocking up and grocery store shelves were more often empty than full. I remember emailing Caleb those first few days and telling him everything that had happened since he had been gone. I don't think he fully understood, because when he left, the situation had seemed so abstract and far away. After he had been gone for five days, my parents called and told me they wanted me to come home. I didn't want to leave, not at first. But I'll admit, I was scared. The cases were rising in California and it was incredibly eerie to go to Trader Joe's and see absolutely nothing on their shelves. It was even scarier that Caleb wasn't there. So the very next day I got on a flight and went back to Idaho, only two days before Caleb ended up coming home, earlier than expected because of the virus. Our email conversation about me leaving was melancholic, but we were both glad that I was going to be with family and hopeful that I'd be back to San Diego soon.

After months of being separated for quarantine, I finally flew back to San Diego in early June. I ended up surprising Caleb and it is still one of my favorite moments we've had. I got back a day earlier than Caleb was expecting and his roommate (thanks, Luke!) picked me up at the airport. He brought me back to their apartment before Caleb got home from work and I hung out, waiting... and waiting... and waiting... until almost 9 o'clock when Caleb finally got home. It was the longest four hours of my life, but as soon as he came through the door with a look of confusion, and then realization that I was there, everything was worth it. We ordered Thai food for dinner and that night was when I had told Caleb what I had been thinking about on the plane ride hours earlier... that I basically wanted to spend forever with him and I hoped he felt the same. I'm a lucky gal that he did! The summer months went by crazy fast, even with COVID. We spent a ton of weekends sailing and boating with our friends, hosting family visiting from out of town, picnics while watching the sunset, bonfires on the beach, and biking all over San Diego. There wasn't a day that went by that Caleb and I didn't talk about getting married. We definitely started planning for a wedding before we even got engaged, which is why I was anxious for it to happen! I knew that it was important for Caleb to meet my parents first, so when they planned a trip to San Diego at the beginning of August, we all knew he had a question to ask! On the last night my parents were in town, my dad and Caleb went for a walk by the beach and "talked." I guess things went well because by the end of the month we were engaged.

We had a weekend trip in Temecula with a few of our friends planned for the end of August. We rented a big Airbnb with a pool in the middle of wine country. We had a wine tasting tour on Friday night and I was certain that he was going to propose. Throughout the entire tour, I kept thinking that every time we turned a corner, Caleb was gonna get down on one knee. Well, we finished the tour and went to dinner with our friends, and that was it... I went from being so sure it was going to happen, to certain that this weekend wasn't going to be the one. The next day, Caleb had to drive back to San Diego for a work event. I spent the day checking out different wineries with our friends. We had dinner reservations at 6pm, as Caleb's plan was to be back by then. I called him at 5 o'clock, thinking he should just be getting back into town, and sure enough, he answered and told me he was driving right by the winery we were at! Perfect, I thought! I asked him if he could pick us up so we could catch a ride with him to the restaurant. He told me no! He said he had to get to the restaurant ASAP to reserve our table, so we would have to Uber. I was so confused, and quite honestly annoyed, as he was driving RIGHT by us. Anyways, we ordered an Uber and headed to the restaurant at Larimar Winery. I called Caleb when we got there but no answer. After we finally were seated (Caleb is still MIA), the hostess came back and asked if we would like to move to a table with a vineyard view. Duh! I picked up our waters and menus (against my friends' requests to leave them) and started to follow the hostess down a long path through the vineyard. We walked, and walked, and walked, and eventually I thought, "there is no way they serve people all of the way out here..." We finally turned a corner and Caleb was standing under the gazebo, dressed all handsome. Shockingly, I was still confused, but grew suspicious when I started walking towards him. Then he asked me to spend forever with him!

I was debating whether or not to add another story, but I feel like we have had some exciting things happen since our engagement. First, we decided on a date (obviously!). We picked March 21, 2021 because it is at the beginning of my Spring break and it is during one of the only free months Caleb will have before he deploys this coming summer. We also decided that we are going to get an apartment together after the wedding, which we are so excited about! Making a registry was becoming really hard when we initially thought that I was going to stay in my 240 square ft studio. Hah! We can't wait to make the most out of the time we will both be in San Diego, even if it is for just a few months. That being said, we welcomed a puppy into our family in October! We had talked about getting a dog for months, and once we knew we were going to be in our own, bigger place after the wedding, it made sense! Our 3 month old pup, Dunkin, has added so much joy to our lives, and I know that he will be great company when Caleb is away. Another great thing that happened is that our families got to meet in October! Well, part of our families. Caleb's mom, grandma, and sister flew out to San Diego for a week, and during that time, my parents drove down. We got to show everyone our venue, celebrate my birthday, and do lots of touristy things around the city! It was a huge blessing. All in all, amid all of this year's craziness, we are so grateful. God has blessed us with so many great things!