we can't wait

His Version: I was pacing back and forth on a street corner in San Mateo when Kaitlin walked down the street for our first date. I realized I hadn't really looked for exactly which storefront was the sushi restaurant I was telling her about. We did end up finding it and I also realized sushi made it tough to talk between big bites of rice but we did our best. I was stricken by her beauty and confidence. She had an aura of happiness and joy which I loved. In that moment all my nervousness melted away and it felt like I had known her for years. That date led us to a pool hall where I attempted to impress with whatever pool skills I had and hoped for a second date. We quickly found a time for a second date that I didn't want to end. We kept finding places to go and things to do before we realized we had happily passed 8 hours. Life led us to a beach in Half Moon Bay with one of the best sunsets we'd ever seen. Sitting beside her talking about the life we had lived to that point and the future we each pictured for ourselves I knew in that moment that I had fallen in love. I had a feeling that she was the one. Every day we spend together confirms to me that she came into my life for a reason. Every day after that first date led us back to a beach in Half Moon Bay, with me on one knee looking at the love of my life and asking to be a part of hers forever. Her Version: I moved to the Bay Area from San Diego in early 2023 and told myself absolutely no dating apps! I had plans to continue travel nursing and was only supposed to be in The Bay for a few months. Little did I know what was meant to find me. One week later, something called me to download a little app called Hinge. After some swiping, I found a handsome man with an even cuter golden retriever. We set our first date, sushi and pool. I knew immediately after sitting down at the table with Michael he was going to be someone special to me, I felt a sense of ease. A few weeks later, making homemade pizza and dancing to Dean Martin in Michael's kitchen, I knew I was falling in love with him. Michael took me on a trip to San Luis Obispo for my 28th birthday. We spent the weekend talking about how much we "liked" each other and "enjoyed" each other, clearly tiptoeing around the big L word. It had only been a few months but I felt like we had known each other our whole lives. The last night of our trip, we told each other we loved each other for the first time. I took a leap and ditched my plans to move to Seattle at the end of summer... I knew Michael was my future and I was home wherever he was. Michael popped the question one year later, at a place very special to us, on the beach where we had our fourth date. He knew my sappy heart would love that. I've always felt that to be known is to be loved and Michael has shown me that time and time again. As he got down on one knee, Michael said he knew on that date I would be his wife one day. I made my best decision yet by saying yes. Harley, my sweet lab, was pretty stoked to find out Michael and Gracie were ours forever. We are so over the moon to be getting married and having the opportunity to celebrate our love with all of our amazing family and friends!