Want to learn the details of Jay and Katie's first date? So do they!
After meeting in 2013 and dating a few times while they both lived in Orange County, Jay moved to San Diego around the same time Katie that moved back to San Francisco. They lost contact for a few years before reconnecting just over four years ago. So between their first meeting and actually starting to date, with multiple other (failed) first and second dates in between, neither Jay or Katie remembers the first place they met up.
Jay and Katie spent the first year of their relationship separated by the 500 miles between San Diego and San Francisco. They each traveled once a month to visit the other before Katie made the jump to move to San Diego. With the proximity to Katie's Orange County family and Jay's love of surfing, San Diego is the perfect spot for them to settle down!
During their first international adventure to Peru, Jay and Katie explored Lima and Cusco before embarking on a three day journey to Machu Picchu. They cycled down a mountain, went white water rafting, zip lining, and hiking through the jungle. After a grueling hike to the top of Machu Picchu Mountain (10,111 ft), they exchanged I love you's at the top.
Jay documented the trip and made a short YouTube video:
Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas in August of 2017. The flooding forced animal shelters in the area to evacuate their shelter dogs and cats all over the country. The Helen Woodward Center in North San Diego received many of them, and Jay and Katie decided they were ready to adopt.
They met Houston (or "Angel Puppy" as Katie lovingly calls him) and knew he was the one. Their weekends have since revolved around him and they couldn't be happier.
Jay planned a New Years trip with the intention of proposing - he knew he had to make it epic considering the Peru trip a few years prior. After getting the go-ahead from Katie's dad and nervously carrying the ring in his pocket for 5 days around Japan, he finally found the perfect spot in a Kyoto bamboo forest.