If our story were to be told in a series of postcards sent over time, this first one would be sent from Northern California.

In 2017, Jake was in his first year of his Doctor of Audiology program in San Francisco, and Caitlin was starting her clinical laboratory scientist program in Berkeley. We didn’t yet know each other, but mutual friends would bring us together and start what has now been a nearly decade long relationship.

Jake became close with Marissa Highberger (now Gilger) and her boyfriend at the time, Jake Gilger. Through them, we began spending time together as a group—starting with a day at the horse races in the Berkeley/Emeryville area, followed by game nights and gatherings, including a St. Patrick’s Day get-together in Berkeley.

During that stretch, we became friends first—but both of us focused mostly on our schooling and having fun as a part of a group.

This postcard would have many photos because it involves nearly the whole city of San Francisco.

One of our favorite early memories came during a jam-packed October day in San Francisco. It began with Corgi Con on Ocean Beach (especially fun since Caitlin’s family owns corgis), followed by Pizza Lunchables at Golden Gate Park, a hike at the Sutro Baths and Land’s End, wandering the Palace of Fine Arts, shuffleboard at a Minnesota Gophers bar, a dueling piano bar (also with shuffleboard), and finally a Trader Joe’s run for drinks, snacks, and pumpkins to carve later that night.

It was nonstop, joyful, and effortless. More importantly, it was the first time we really spent an entire day together.

That day still stands out as one of those rare moments where everything felt easy and right—and we’re lucky to have plenty of photos to prove it

This postcard definitely has an inside joke written on it.

In January 2018, Jake and Marissa were preparing for their hearing aid dispensing exams, which required a third-party subject. Marissa recruited her Jake (Jake Gilger). Jake recruited Caitlin.

For the assessment, Caitlin became Subject 35—a number that instantly turned into a tradition. To this day, we still try to book hotel rooms, campsites, or anything labeled “35” whenever possible.

That night, everyone gathered at Jake Gilger’s family home in El Dorado Hills for a birthday celebration. Between drinks, a hot tub, a bonfire, and a lot of laughter, the chemistry we’d been quietly avoiding finally surfaced.

That night, Caitlin made the first move.

It was the first time we openly acknowledged what had been there all along.

Naturally, we decided to go on a date.

It was… not great. The timing was off, expectations were unclear, and instead of bringing clarity, it left us both more confused.

So…we decided not to date.

Instead, we stayed friends.

That decision preserved the group dynamic we valued so deeply—and allowed trust, comfort, and connection to continue growing without pressure.

Even as Jake moved to San Diego and Caitlin lived in Sacramento, we still found ways to see each other—three or four times throughout that year—one of which included being part of Marissa and Jake Gilger’s wedding. Distance became part of our story, but it never quite pulled us apart.

After completing his Doctor of Audiology program, Jake planned a three-month backpacking trip across the U.S. and Europe. The trip began with a surprise visit to Lake Tahoe for Caitlin’s birthday—planned with Marissa and Jake Gilger.

During that trip, Caitlin jokingly said, “You should write me a postcard from every city you visit.”

Jake took that joke very seriously.

Jake wrote a postcard from every city he visited. That became the one constant during a summer that was otherwise full of unfamiliar places, uncomfortable moments, and long stretches of being completely alone. Those postcards weren’t souvenirs—they were a way to stay grounded, to pause, and to send a piece of himself back home.

We didn’t talk every day, but we spoke once or twice a week, and those conversations mattered deeply. While Jake was having the adventure of a lifetime, he was also navigating loneliness, uncertainty, and situations far outside his comfort zone. Through it all, Caitlin was the steady presence—someone to process the hard moments with, to think through decisions, and to feel less alone.

In Paris, one of the accommodations Jake had arranged unexpectedly turned into sharing a bed with a gay man he didn’t know, a situation that felt genuinely scary and overwhelming at the time, but later turned into a funny story we tell often. What made it manageable was talking it through with Caitlin—coming up with a plan together, and knowing he wasn’t alone.

In Pamplona, Jake was nervous about running with the bulls, and it was a phone call with Caitlin that ultimately convinced him to do it. Anyone that knows Caitlin well, will know this is out of character, and at the time she probably gave her encouragement as a joke, forgetting that Jake acts on the lighthearted things she says. She reminded him, “You’re there. When will you ever go again? How could you miss the opportunity to experience it?” Only later did she fully understand the level of danger that experience actually involved.

That summer, across ten time zones, we learned that distance didn’t weaken our connection—it strengthened it.

Writing postcards, staying in touch, and showing up for each other from opposite sides of the world made it clear that we already knew how to act like a couple—even before we officially were one.

Those postcards—and those calls—kept us connected, even from far away.

When Jake returned from Europe, Caitlin surprised him in Minnesota—the first time Jake had ever been surprised like that.

Not long after, Jake invited Caitlin to join him in Portland during a work trip. This time, it was just the two of us. No buffer. No group dynamic. No safety net.

At a McMenamins bar over a shot and beer combo, we stopped dancing around it.

On October 19, 2019, we made it official.

Three months later, on a cold morning in Tahoe, Jake was the first to say “I love you.” Caitlin followed not long after.

That Christmas, Jake gave Caitlin a Claddagh ring he had bought months earlier in Galway, Ireland—symbolizing love, friendship, and loyalty. Caitlin loved the thought that jake had bought this ring for her months before they were officially together, and was shocked to find that the ring fit perfectly. Caitlin wore it every single day… until September 1, 2025.

When the pandemic hit, distance and uncertainty tested us again. But we leaned in—driving hours for short visits between LA and Sacramento and camping across California. Our first “big” trip was a 6 day road trip through Bryce Canyon and Zion National parks, and this was a breakthrough trip for Caitlin. This was an area she had wanted to travel but kept making excuses, putting up barriers, and just never planned the trip. But jake just said, “Let’s do it!”. And that trip became such a treasured memory, with the long drives together, completely stunning scenery, and stargazing nights.

That trip showed just how naturally we moved through travel-and life—together.

Bigger adventures would later follow: Iceland in a campervan on the Ring Road, renting a cabin in the remote Mexican coastline, riding a motorcycle in the Canadian Rockies, with countless more road trips, and countless postcards sent to friends and family.

In 2022, we moved in together. Standing next to a rented U-Haul, we looked at each other thinking, “Are we really doing this?”

We were.

And just like that, Hermosa Beach became home.

Hermosa Beach became the backdrop of our everyday joy. Our weeks filled with Tuesday night volleyball leagues, Friday happy hours that stretched into late nights, and long Saturdays and Sundays spent playing on the beach, watching AVP tournaments, or riding a motorcycle along the coastal bluffs. We hosted bonfires, game nights, themed dinner parties, and celebrated New Year’s surrounded by friends who feel like family.

We took trips with our Hermosa crew—to Tahoe, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara camping trips, and multiple weddings up the coast. We explored the South Bay and the city through alphabet dates, went to concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, cheered at games and shows at SoFi Stadium, and supported one another through personal milestones—including Caitlin completing a marathon.

The last 3 and a half years in Hermosa weren’t about any single postcard moment—they were about building a life full of movement, friendship, laughter, and shared routines. It is where we learned that the most meaningful adventures aren’t always far away; sometimes they’re right outside our front door.

In 2025, we had our biggest trip yet and traveled to Denmark and Greece. Caitlin had a slight hunch this might be “the trip”. She didn’t know when or how a proposal might happen, and she just let the trip play out as it would. Midway through the trip, we embarked on our journey to the summit of Mount Olympus.

After a demanding first day of our two-day hike, Caitlin was understandably anxious about what lay ahead. We knew the next day would require an even steeper climb and the challenge consumed every thought. There was no room to wonder about a proposal—until we reached the summit, where Jake asked the biggest question of all, with a second Claddagh ring, this time with a diamond.

That evening in Litochoro (small town at the base of the mountain), we shared a classic Greek meal that felt especially meaningful—celebrating both the climb we had just finished and the future we were beginning together. We talked about how right it all felt, and how being friends first had shaped everything that followed. Through it all, we’ve learned that we simply enjoy being together—whether in the car, in our tiny kitchen baking sourdough, around a campfire, or in another country.

From postcards to mountaintops, we’ve learned that the moments worth holding onto are often the simplest—time together, shared adventures, and showing up for one another again and again.

The next postcard we can’t wait to send is a picture of us on our wedding day—surrounded by the people who have been part of this journey and the places that shaped us.

We look forward to continuing a life filled with moments that feel postcard-worthy—and we’re so grateful to share this one with you.