We met in 2009 after both being recruited for jobs in Ridgecrest, CA. We quickly became a part of the same social circle due to our mutual enjoyment of experiencing life outside of Ridgecrest's limited (practically non-existent ^_~) activities.

Over the next few years our friendship grew amidst many trips out of town. These included trips to Santa Monica for the beach and even winter ice skating (even though it’s still 70 degrees), amusement parks like Six Flags and Universal, Halloweens in West Hollywood, and even a cruise to Mexico. We also decided to learn to snowboard together, making that a winter activity we looked forward to each year. Between all the out of town trips, we did occasionally have weekends where we stayed in town. These often included hosting parties or movie nights with other friends but would occasionally be something more low key with just the two of us. We started officially dating in 2011. For another local activity we took up swing dance lessons to keep us entertained during the week.

Neither of us planned to stay in Ridgecrest long term, and in 2014 Jonathan was able to get a new job in San Diego. Katie was able to transfer about a month later and we've been enjoying the San Diego lifestyle together since then.  In the short time we've been here we've taken up hiking, tried stand up paddle boarding, gone to Comic-Con, and attended both Padres and Chargers games. We hope this is only the start of our adventures here!

On June 18 2016, Jonathan took advantage of Katie having to do Saturday work to set up their apartment for his proposal. He laid out a trail of flowers, mementos, and pictures to represent all the adventures they've had together since meeting. His flower bouquet at the end even included a "Marry me" hot sauce packet from his breakfast trip to Taco Bell that morning (another sign that this was the right day to pop the question). Katie was completely surprised when she arrived home and quickly said "yes!" (or giggled, “yes!” as Jonathan puts it) to his proposal.