Contrary to what we have told many of our lovely friends and family, our love story begins a bit earlier than when CJ returned from a deployment in June of 2020. In fact, it goes all the way back to June of 2019. At that time, Rach was deep into her masters program and CJ was a waaaaay overworked Marine Corps Lieutenant who liked romance, but with no one to pour it into… so what do two crazy busy 20-somethings do when looking for a connection? We track down our favorite pics and fun anecdotes, lie about our height, and we try to stand out amongst the crowd on dating apps. Somehow the 1s and 0s crossed at the right time and they matched, only for CJ to send this amazingly creative first message to captivate a pretty girl’s attention… “What’s up Rach?” Luckily for him, Rach was rattled by the bold move of addressing her with a nickname and she had to know more about him. From there, the conversation flowed effortlessly as they bonded over sports, travel plans, and life goals. They then set up a first date: a walk at Balboa Park in San Diego. You might expect this section to end with something like “…happily ever after” after that date…but it never actually happened! Unbeknownst to Rachel, CJ was a Marine (he made no mention of this) and he was deploying to the Middle East in 12 hours!! He had procrastinated and was a little late on his packing (are we surprised?). CJ ending up canceling the date! Rachel wished this man she had never met good luck as he was set to fly across the globe. Against all odds, their conversations kept going despite an 11 hour time difference and 8000 miles of separation. Their exchanges ebbed and flowed, sometimes for hours, but often with only a message or two in a week. CJ and Rach slowly became modern pen pals and trusted confidants. The two shared stories and inner thoughts with each other, all with no judgments, and no ties to their real lives. CJ became one of the first people Rach would talk to about everything, from the latest drama in her life to failed first dates. CJ shared how he ate boiled chicken for lunch for the XXth day in a row and sent her pictures of him and his fellow Marines playing volleyball on their shotty set up in the desert. As weeks became months, they planned on officially meeting when CJ returned. But that timeline wasn’t as simple as either had hoped. The deployment was supposed to end in April 2020, but COVID happened, and his unit couldn’t get replacements. He was finally able to return in June, but was required to complete a 14 day quarantine. By the time he was out of quarantine, Rachel had plans to travel on a week long trip in the Sierras. Then, after almost exactly one year from when they matched on Hinge, they finally set up a time to meet at Fletcher’s Cove in Solana Beach. However, CJ made it clear: "It's not a date, let's be friends first." CJ and Rachel were still not sure where their unique but special connection was heading. Were they going to be just friends? Or was it romantic? It was all up in the air. Once together on the beach, the time flew by as Rach dazzled CJ with her charm, quick humor, and an adorable smile (as well as some awesome skills with a frisbee). The hour or two they budgeted became a whole afternoon in a blink of an eye, and that first "non-date" ended with plans to hang out again the very next day. Over the course of the next few years, CJ and Rach endured relationship challenges through navigating the pandemic, moving to new cities, making tough decisions, and maturing. But that only made them grow as individuals and strengthened their partnership. Now, after five years from swiping right (all thanks to Rach shifting her preferences to include 5’11”), they can’t wait to be married and start a family together. We both feel so loved by our friends and family! We know we wouldn’t be where we are today without the amazing connections we've made and role models we have to follow. We can’t wait to celebrate all the love on 11/8!