It was a brisk San Francisco morning and Mizzou was playing Georgia at 9 a.m. PT, a questionable time for football. Joe’s parents, Jane and Charlie, were visiting and didn’t want to miss the SEC showdown. Joe had heard of a Mizzou alumni bar in town and figured they could stop by to watch the game and say a quick hello to fellow Tigers. Little did he know, Veronica was the president of the local Mizzou alumni chapter and had a deal with the bar to only open for Mizzou fans before noon. Joe and his parents stepped into the nearly empty bar and discovered a table of eight people inhaling fried pickles and mozzarella sticks for breakfast. “Did you guys rent this entire bar out?” Joe asked, perplexed. “Pretty much, yeah,” Veronica replied. Decked out in Mizzou gear, the newcomers were quickly welcomed into the group and provided with the finest Budweiser bottles (aka Charlie’s drink of choice, so practically champagne). Jane and Charlie even knew someone on Mizzou’s coaching staff at the time, so naturally, a group photo was taken within minutes of meeting. After Georgia reminded Mizzou who’s boss, Veronica’s friends decided the day was still young. Their next stop? A bar called The Lot, which was literally a parking lot that served rosé and beer on uncomfortable benches. Knowing this sounded less than appealing, but wanting the newcomers to stick around, Veronica pitched it to them with all the charm she could muster: “It’s a really cool spot, they have benches and port-a-potties.” Sales was never her calling, but somehow, it worked and off they went.

It was White Claw Summer and the Old Town Road remix was playing on repeat. We celebrated a friend’s birthday on a boat cruise around the Bay during a year that moved at full speed.

Channeling the 'Storm Area 51' event, Veronica went as an alien and Joe as an FBI agent for Halloween.

When the COVID lockdown happened, Veronica quarantined with Joe and his roommates, New Girl style. They filled their days playing board games, binging Outer Banks (#tourons), and taking long walks, like this one in Marin County.

Itching for an adventure after months of quarantining, we drove up north to explore Lassen Volcanic National Park.

We moved into our first apartment together on Lombard Street, just blocks from the iconic curvy street, and quickly made it feel like home. Between rooftop NFL Sundays with friends, Mario Party nights, and the occasional pool floatie making its way upstairs, it became one of our favorite chapters.

Joe’s family visited us in SF and we took our first trip all together to Yosemite. After getting inspired by the Free Solo documentary, we chose a hike that looked easy online but turned into a slick waterfall climb—an adventure we still laugh about to this day. Talk about a slippery slope!

Our first big trip together to Maui. Joe got certified in scuba diving while Veronica tried it for the first time, and she showed him why she loves ziplining.

To reach Joe’s family’s annual Florida trip, we took the most direct path: a flight that included a 36-hour layover in Edmonton, Canada. We made the most of our first international adventure by cheering on the Edmonton Riverhawks, watching fireworks in broad daylight, and almost getting stuck in Canada after airport security flagged our souvenir baseball bat-shaped cups as "weapons". Go Hawks!

We hit the slopes in Breckenridge, Colorado, with friends. We didn’t break any skiing or snowboarding records, but we embraced the adventure and outfits.

We are huge 49ers fans, and the 2023-2024 season was one for the books. Soaking wet from the rain, we never stopped rooting for the 49ers as they staged a comeback win against the Packers. Go Niners!

We took our first big international trip to Ireland and London for a friend’s wedding. While in London, we spoke to each other in questionable British accents the entire time and discovered the undeniable supremacy of a proper full English breakfast.

After a tough 49ers season, we booked a spontaneous weekend trip to take our minds off the impending Super Bowl. Catalina looked like a unique place to explore, but Joe had some surprises in store. While riding around the island in a golf cart, Joe pulled over to fly his drone to take some photos of the scenery. He said he’d grab a couple photos of us, but instead asked Veronica to marry him - and she said yes! He somehow even took our own engagement photos at the same time. Talk about multitasking!