Thank you for all you do to make our lives wonderful. We love you!

We met in the garden at our graduate school during orientation. Shaun was two weeks back from his Peace Corps service and Clare was two months back from 4 years overseas. We quickly bonded over shared experiences of surviving dengue fever, navigating reverse culture shock, and the awe & amazement of getting to live on the Central Coast of California. We became good friends quickly - cycling along the ocean, hiking and running, and checking out the local music and craft beer scene. After a year of being "friends", it became clear that we needed to give this thing a try. Best decision ever :)

In many ways, we have both lived unconventional lives. It was therefore no surprise to Clare's best friends and family that she decided to propose to Shaun. Clare bought a ring during a trip to visit family in Seattle and carried it with her for almost 6 months. After coming close to proposing a couple times, she finally found the perfect opportunity - a backpacking trip in Big Sur for Shaun's birthday. On the final night of the trip, we hiked up to the top of Cone Peak to watch the sunset and Clare told Shaun she had a birthday present for him - inside was the ring. For the record, Shaun was also planning his own proposal at the time. Clare beat him to it :)