Our Story
December 2016
In early December, both received notifications on a dating app that they had a new match. Katelyn spent minutes crafting her perfect first message: "Hi Chris. What's your favorite kind of ice cream?" Chris spent a few paragraphs trying to qualify which flavor was best; did he make it himself? was it soft-serve? was it from a traditional ice cream location? That was enough for Katelyn, and a date was picked. They'd get drinks at Two Sisters bar in Hayes Valley before going to nearby Smitten Ice Cream. That night proved to be the first of many dates involving beers and ice cream.
Early 2017
Chris and Katelyn spent most of the first part of 2017 heading away for the weekend to go somewhere outdoors as their love blossomed. Some combination of biking, running, hiking, or swimming would occur. In June, they headed on their first international trip together, the frozen North that is Canada. Chris and Katelyn met up with Katelyn's parents, Bill and Nancee, to visit Banff National Park for a week of outdoor exploring. There was hiking, eating, ice cream, glacier walking, and hot springs.
Upon returning from Canada, Chris and Katelyn moved into their first apartment, where, in true Chris and Katelyn fashion, they spent the first night in sleeping bags camping on the floor. It was in that San Francisco apartment, that Katelyn got her first taste of living with the hairball that is Rowdy.
November 2017
November of 2017, their family grew a bit bigger with the birth of their son, Cole. At 9 lbs, 5 ounces, Cole was no small baby. Despite that, Chris and Katelyn did not let his presence slow them down. Seven days after Cole's birth, he went on his first ferry ride across the bay to then go on his first hike on Angel Island. That was enough validation for Chris and Katelyn, who then went camping with Cole in December as a trial run before going on a two week, 3000 mile road trip throughout California to Utah. After the first night camping in feet of snow outside Moab, Utah, the car read 13° in the morning. Four National Parks later, a healthy Cole, and tired parents, Chris and Katelyn were ready for more adventures.
July 2018
A job change for Katelyn left the month of July free and that meant time to fill with an adventure for the couple. Naturally, that meant attempting the 200 mile long John Muir Trail from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney, backpacking with a seven month old over three weeks. Careful planning, organizing, and preparation was not quite enough and the family ended up dropping after five days and 60 miles. Cole developed a nasty chapped chin from the high altitude combined with his constant drooling. But an improvisation was made - a road trip and more camping through Oregon to fill the remaining time.
Early 2019
After Cole turned one, many camping trips, adventures, and diaper blow outs, clearly Chris and Katelyn were ready to make it through anything. Chris carefully orchestrated a plan for Chris' parents, Jeff and Vickie, to watch Cole and Rowdy for a weekend. He planned a beautiful day cross country skiing to a secluded location near Lake Tahoe where he would propose and start the next chapter. But Katelyn would have none of that plan. A compromise was reached and they'd instead go cross-country skiing Friday afternoon in Tahoe before downhill skiing the rest of the weekend.
The day arrived, and Chris wanted to wait for golden hour, so stalled at a cafe in Truckee by working on and submitting taxes, leaving Katelyn confused about how important this cross country ski excursion was. On the trail, Chris quickly realized that the chosen trail was actually straight uphill and terrible for skis. Never-the-less, Katelyn was happy and cheerful despite spending most of the time in the snow. After ditching the skis half way up the mountain, they arrived on a ridge overlooking Lake Tahoe near sunset. They decided to take a few photos before heading home. After the self-timer went off, Chris went down on one knee and popped the question. A "for real?" response meant yes, and their path to engagement was complete.