Nationals Park, Washington DC, April 2012
WASHINGTON DC
Gary's pickup line, of sorts, was: "do you need a job"?
In true DC style, Caitlin & Gary met at a foreign policy conference. Caitlin, about to finish graduate school, was looking for a job, but both Gary and Caitlin were more interested in each other than employment prospects.
After a few coffee get-togethers to talk about "jobs", and one late night of drinks, Caitlin and Gary had their first real date at a Washington Nationals baseball game.
MONTREAL
Most couples don't travel together internationally three and a half months after their first date. Caitlin and Gary did. And while Canada isn't exactly Nepal, traveling to another country for a long birthday weekend gave Caitlin and Gary a chance to see new elements of each other: Gary's ability to actually sleep in, if given the chance; a shared reluctance to traipse around in the heat (a mutual love of taxis would soon become clear); Caitlin's appreciation of no-frills eggs-n-bacon breakfasts, as well as Gary's epic perusals of wine lists at random, out-of-the-way suburban Montreal restaurants.
A weekend of eating and drinking through Montreal confirmed what Caitlin and Gary had started to feel back in DC: something special is happening here.
Outdoor cafe, Montreal, August 2012
LONDON
Gary had it easy -- meeting Caitlin's parents in Washington DC and spending time with them in New Jersey. Caitlin, not so much. Her first encounter with Gary's mom, Carolyn, and stepdad, Clive, came just an hour or two after getting off a sleepless redeye from Newark. Of course, Carolyn loved Caitlin instantly - who doesn't?
So began a post-Christmas trip to England, where a couple now truly in love learned just how much they enjoyed traveling together...and how similar their travel preferences were.
Pausing to talk, London, December 2012
Across the bridge from Westminster, London, December 2012
PARIS
Spending two New Years in a row in Paris is hard to top, but that's something Caitlin and Gary will be working on in the years to come. Gary's lifelong love - and Caitlin's quick embrace - of Paris gave them long walks, long conversations, and long and beautiful nights staying up late in a special place learning about what it might mean to spend the rest of their lives together.
It was Paris where each realized the other shared the same love for quiet adventure and exploration, punctuated by plenty of cafe stops, and an equal enjoyment of revisiting old stomping grounds and experiencing the truly new.
The Eiffel Tower from Trocadero, Paris, January 2013
Evening drinks, Chicago, September 2013
CHICAGO
Gary was oh-so-proud to introduce Caitlin to old college friends at a black tie wedding in Chicago. Though the hotel was unacceptable and the traffic unforgiving, Chicago provided more of the small moments that neither Gary nor Caitlin could imagine sharing with anyone else.
It was also in the rental car in Chicago that Gary asked Caitlin to find the country music station - the surest sign she had totally, completely, infiltrated his every fiber of being. They both now default to country when picking their music.
The Strip from the Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas, January 2014
LAS VEGAS
Though Caitlin and Gary aren't party animals, Vegas held a certain allure for both of them. And a Celine Dion show on Caitlin's birthday was the perfect chance for Gary to surprise Caitlin with plane tickets, a weekend at the Mandarin Oriental (away from the riff-raff), and excellent seats for Celine. Gary enjoyed her renditions of various James Bond songs; Caitlin was in raptures for the entire show. True love had long since taken root.
Windswept and relaxed, Avalon, New Jersey, June 2014
AVALON
Shared preferences for leisure activity make falling in love so much easier. If not in a luxury hotel, Caitlin and Gary will be vacationing on the beach. And never, ever camping.
Caitlin and Gary's New Jersey friends will attest (and perhaps raise the eyebrows of the Australians when doing so) that the Jersey Shore has some pretty darn good beaches. Gary even caught a few waves, restoring his bodysurfing prowess of yesteryear. Ripped board shorts proved it.
The beach and ocean, always conveying a powerful sense of eternity, was the perfect midsummer opportunity to pause the day-to-day madness and get really excited about the future.
SYDNEY
Caitlin survived the plane flight. Gary ate an obscene amount of oysters. The engagement went off perfectly, done on an oceanfront walkway next to Gary's favorite beach. For Gary, an engagement in Sydney represented the merging of the most significant moments of his past with the most important part of his future. For Caitlin, getting engaged on the other side of the world, in her fiance's "home", signaled an unbreakable commitment to a lifelong journey together.
Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney, November 2014
Engagement at Curl Curl Beach, Sydney, November 2014