We're getting married!

Our story began with a swipe and some witty messages back and forth on the dating app, Hinge (Nicole reached out first by the way). We went out to Habana in Irvine for some Cuban-inspired dinner on a Saturday night where we quickly discovered a surprising number of connections. From shared music tastes, to the same first job in high school as lifeguards, to both being avid swimmers and water polo players in high school, to graduating with the same degree in undergrad, and both attending beautiful college campuses at beach locations, there was no denying we definitely had a special spark. Surprisingly, we even shared connections to our sweet small home towns of Hemet and Visalia. (Nicole’s Dad grew up in the same area as Cody, and Cody’s roommate, Jake, was Nicole’s neighbor in Visalia growing up. Hemet is also where Nicole’s mom and dad met and fell in love. And Cody’s and Nicole’s mom were both teachers)! Truth be told, Nicole was hesitant for a second date. Life got busy, and we didn't reconnect right away. But by God’s timing (and maybe a little bit of persistence from Cody) we were able to reconnect again about three months later. We met over to-go cups of white wine and the twinkling lights of the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade in the harbor, and everything clicked into place. From that night on, Nicole quickly realized Cody was different. He was incredibly kind and down-to-earth, fun and spontaneous, and we possessed a deep well of shared values. More than anything, Cody made Nicole feel truly safe and loved. It wasn't long before we made it official and started dreaming of our future plans together. We shared adventures from paddleboarding in Newport Bay, dancing away at Stagecoach Music Festival, to the rewarding (and challenging) experience of training Nicole's very first dog, black lab mix cutie girl, Hallie, together. Wednesday nights often found us at The Marine Room in Laguna Beach, soaking in live music and enjoying New York Sours. (At this time, Cody was balancing working full time and finishing up his master’s program in Riverside, and STILL made time to see Nicole). These times together, big and small, made our relationship, ours. We just loved spending time together, no matter what the plans! We both don’t love the saying “when you know, you know”… but in our case… we both knew. Cody chose a special time to propose: during Nicole's 30th birthday celebration, at Doffo Winery in Temecula. It was a beautiful December day, made even more special by celebrating with friends and family, and we quickly dove into wedding planning! As we look to the future, we're so excited to continue building a life together- filled with laughter, love, and many more adventures. We can't wait to celebrate our next chapter with all of you!