We connected on a dating app and met for the first time on Super Bowl Sunday, 2023. For our first date, we went for coffee (or tea in Valerie's case) at a shop in Long Beach. We ended up chatting for a few hours and talked about everything from family and faith to music, surfing, and dog training. That first date became one date a week, then two dates a week, then three... until eventually we found ourselves spending the majority of our time together.

On Super Bowl weekend 2024, almost exactly one year after we met, Jake had an unusually late craving for coffee and asked to make a detour on the way to dinner. He drove to the coffee shop, heart pounding and hands sweating, while Valerie was none the wiser. As they parked, Valerie realized it was the same coffee shop where they had their first date. Jake stopped her from going inside and confessed that he didn’t really want coffee... and got down on one knee instead.