It all began over a decade ago when Caitlin embarked on a study abroad program in Buenos Aires, Argentina. One weekend, Caitlin and José independently decided to go on a pub crawl. They struck up a conversation on the bus and ended up dancing the night away. The next day, José invited Caitlin to join him for a city tour. Cautious of venturing out with a “stranger,” Caitlin brought three of her friends along. José graciously showed them iconic spots like Casa Rosada, the Florida shopping strip, and his favorite pizza place, Cuartito. Soon after, José flew back to Miami with his family, bidding farewell to Argentina. Over the following years, José and Caitlin maintained sporadic contact, exchanging the occasional “happy birthday” or brief “how are you” on social media. When Covid hit, they reconnected during the lockdown and started video chatting, even doing home workouts together. José was living in Argentina at the time but eventually flew to Miami given the remote work-life. After six months of talking, they saw an opportunity to meet in person and planned a nervous yet exciting weekend in Boston. They were about to physically see each other after eight years! Needless to say, they hit it off immediately and unknowingly set the stage for a future together.

Caitlin and José were in Argentina visiting Jose's family and friends with the added excitement of the World Cup happening! Their plan was to watch the Argentina vs. Netherlands game at 2:30 p.m. Before the game, Jose had "arranged" for them to have lunch with his Aunt and Uncle. Coincidentally, the restaurant happened to be near the plaza where he had taken Caitlin and her friends back in 2012 (in Casa Rosada). José had a surprise in store that Caitlin was beginning to sense - he wanted them to revisit the water fountain where they had taken a photo in 2012. Once they reached the fountain, he asked a passing stranger to take a picture for them after which, he knelt down on one knee! Little did Caitlin know, his friend was hiding in the bushes, snapping more photos of the entire moment. Lunch with his Aunt and Uncle was never the plan :)