As best as we remember it

Our Story

The timeline of truth, told as a photo essay: a Bumble start, a few plot twists, a lot of coffee, and one very on-brand proposal.

Jess and CJ in the Bumble early days — Bumble / early days

Chapter 1

Friday the 13th: Bumble Edition

We both swiped yes, and Jess invited a stranger from the internet to her house on Friday the 13th. CJ still brings this up as evidence that Jess's stranger-danger settings were not fully enabled.

Jess and CJ around the meeting the family chapter — Meeting the family

Official-ish

The Soft Launch

Somewhere along the way, this stopped being "a Bumble thing" and became a real thing. On the way to meet CJ's parents, he asked, "What should I refer to you as, my girlfriend?" Very romantic. Extremely efficient. Status: confirmed.

The big idea

The Peru Plan

We decided to move to Peru and travel for a year. Jess rented out her house, condensed her belongings into a backpack, and prepared for adventure. Then COVID arrived with other plans.

Jess and CJ during the COVID era — COVID era

The plot twist

The Childhood Bedroom Chapter

Since COVID was going to "be over any day now," we moved in together for the first time in CJ's childhood bedroom. Nothing says romance like a global shutdown and questionable storage space.

Jess and CJ during the Hampden house chapter — Hampden house

First home

Hampden Headquarters

Peru was not bouncing back from COVID anytime soon, so CJ bought his first house in Hampden. We finally had our own place, which felt very grown-up for two people whose original plan was "move to another continent and see what happens."

Jess and CJ during the travel, food, coffee, and beach era — Bye Baltimore - Hello Florida! 👋

Vacation thesis

The Travel, Food, Coffee, Beach Era

We got really into travel, good food, very good coffee, and the beach. Eventually, "wouldn't it be nice to live somewhere warm?" became less of a casual thought and more of a shared personality trait.

Jess and CJ during the Florida moves chapter — Florida moves

Real estate era

The Zillow Years

We fell in love with St. Pete and decided snow was no longer part of the long-term plan. St. Pete became Clearwater, Clearwater became Jax Beach, and Zillow became our shared hobby.

Home base

Jax Beach: The One That Stuck

After bouncing around enough to understand our preferences a little too well, we landed in Jax Beach. We love it here, we're still here, and our coffee standards remain unreasonable.

Eight years later

The Coffee Beans Proposal

After eight years together, CJ proposed in the most us way possible: quietly, at home, with a ring hidden in the coffee beans. Romantic, caffeinated, and slightly on-brand to make Jess work for it before breakfast.

Firepit seating with mountain views at Mountain Mama Ranch — Mountain Mama Ranch

September 6, 2026

The Next Chapter

Now we get to gather our favorite people in Virginia for a wedding that feels like us: warm, laid-back, full of great views, and very much centered on being together.