Conor and Emma met in Houston in the summer of 2022, when Conor was working for a software consulting company and Emma was just starting her third year of medical school. Their first date was at a cocktail bar called Julep, a quick meetup which turned into four hours of laughing and interesting conversation. In the several following months, they learned they shared so many similar passions and interests in life and fell in love.

When Emma matched to ophthalmology residency in Seattle, WA at the University of Washington, Conor decided that he would come along with her for an entirely new adventure in a place far from both of their homes in California and Texas. They quickly learned to love the city where they now live, with all of its quirks and especially with its incredible access to the outdoors.

Conor and Emma went on a backpacking trip at the end of June 2025 with several close friends and Emma's sister to the Enchantments, a famous outdoors destination in the PNW. At the end of the first day of backpacking, the group had found an idyllic camping spot next to Snow Lakes. Against an intimate backdrop of mountainous passes and sparkling alpine waters, Conor asked Emma to marry him. And of course, she said yes. They celebrated with a bottle of champagne that Conor had lugged up 10 miles / 4,000 feet of elevation gain in his 60-lb backpack. If you ask him, though, he would say the effort was worth it and he'd do it all over again (...maybe).

We love this chapter and new home we've built here in the PNW, and are so excited for all of you to experience what makes this corner of the world so special.