we're getting married!

Our love story started off with a swipe right - a classic, modern "meet cute". It was right around Christmas time. We starting chatting and decided why not do all Christmas activities imaginable with one another. We spent that first week going ice skating at Hotel Del, visiting two neighborhoods with famous light shows, walking through the Living Nativity, drinking winter ales & peppermint cocoas and eating sugar cookies. Just when you thought we couldn't get enough of each other, we spent the next month being completely inseparable. We enjoyed dinner dates, sunset beach picnics, stargazing in hammocks and more. Come January, Amanda finally gained the courage (after a couple drinks and adrenaline from dancing at the Belly Up) to pop the question. That night we became an official couple! Ever since that first night we met, we have been enjoying each other's company, challenging each other, learning from one another & growing our love together.

We started the day off like any other... with a fresh cup of cold brew & chocolate milk and a breakfast burrito from Cotixan! We began the day walking Totsie around the neighborhood, gardening at our home, and running around town. Come lunch time, we took Totsie to Carlsbad Lagoon to go paddle boarding... which ended up being a total nightmare. Totsie + standup paddle = not a match! We had fun & lots of laughs, which is all we could hope for! Following that, we had a classic trip to Board & Brew in Carlsbad where we essentially just go to get enough secret sauce to feed a 5 person family. By the time we got home, we were pooped! We relaxed in our cozy yard, listening to Jack Johnson with occasional bursts of slow dancing. Come later in the afternoon, Buddy was planning a secret "date". In the midst of getting ready, Buddy proceeded to tell Amanda what to and not to wear (and boy is she glad he did... for these proposal photos lol). We drove up north to our so-called dinner reservation that we magically were too early for, causing us to detour at a beach we had ventured to in our early months of dating for sunset, Terramar. We strolled down the stairs only to find that it was high tide, forcing us to walk up along the smaller bluff right on the beach. As we made our way along, Amanda saw a picnic set up and thought to herself "wow how cute! wonder where the couple is!".... this is when Buddy pulled her aside and excitedly said "this is us!". Amanda knew at this point what was happening and her eyes lit up. We sat for a charcuterie board and drinks, but Buddy was too eager and asked her to stand. There he was, kneeling on the beach, with the waves spraying rainbows on the bluffs. Amanda screamed "YES"!!!!