Falling in love in Austin
Little did we know we would fall head over heels in love on Lady Bird Lake.
Our Story
Seven years in the making
Twenty-one moments, two dogs, one Mexican restaurant, and a lot of luck.
Joe
From Louisiana
Joe & Josie head west
Joe and his pup Josie move to Austin from Louisiana for a new chapter in the big city.
Gabby
From Barcelona
Gabby crosses the Atlantic
Gabby moves to Austin from Barcelona for a job opportunity, only planning to stay for three months. (Spoiler: she didn't.)
And then, we meet
Our first date was at El Naranja on Rainey Street, and after that it was hard to stay apart.... But we only had 3 months together.
Beyla's big move
When the time came, we made the choice to give our love a chance. Gabby would stay in Austin, and Beyla, her beloved pup back in Barcelona, flies across the Atlantic to join her.
Just like that, the family is complete: Joe, Gabby, Josie & Beyla.
First trip abroad
Dominican Republic. Salt water, sunburns, the kind of laughter you only get on a real holiday.
Cartagena, Colombia
Cobblestone streets, hot Caribbean nights, fresh juice on every corner. Latin America in full colour.
Whistler, Canada
Snowboarding, skiing, falling in love with the mountains together.
Our first home (and a pandemic)
New home in Austin, just in time for COVID! Lockdown tests us all, but we end up having a whole lot of fun and causing a fair bit of mischief along the way.
A summer in Tulum
We pack up for the Mexican coast and fall headfirst into life by the sea, turquoise water, beach mornings, and a new shared obsession: spearfishing.
Colorado Adventures
Our second ski season together, and the one where Joe learns to snowboard. First Vail, then Telluride, which becomes our favorite spot in the world. We'll keep coming back for years.
First trip to Barcelona, together
Gabby brings Joe home. Tapas, the sea, late dinners on the terrace, the city that will one day host our wedding starts to feel like ours.
Paris. Our first time to France together.
Croissants, wine, walking until our feet hurt. Gabby turns 30 and France quietly becomes the place we keep going back to.
First surf trip · Portugal
Boards, wetsuits, Atlantic swell. We learn to take a wave together, falling off it, mostly, and laughing.
Our first summer in Europe
A whirlwind of trains, canals, mountains, beaches: Amsterdam → Switzerland → Austria → Germany → Barcelona → Croatia. The continent goes from a place we visit to a place we belong.
Second summer in Europe
Italy and Spain. Pasta in Rome, paella in Barcelona, and the slow realization that this side of the world keeps pulling us back.
40 days in Placerville
Our wellness retreat, quiet mornings, long walks, hard conversations. We make the big decisions about what comes next, together.
We move to Barcelona
From Austin to Barceloneta. New apartment, new language at the supermarket, the Mediterranean at our doorstep. The big leap.
Joe proposes, yes, a thousand times
Five and a half years in, on a quiet sunlit moment, Joe asks the question. Gabby cries, says yes, and the wedding planning officially begins.
Joe meets Wiesbaden
Joe visits Gabby's German hometown for the first time. Old streets, family stories, and a different side of Gabby's history coming into focus.
Our first triathlon, together
Swim, bike, run. Months of training, one finish line, two very tired but very proud people.
We got married
Monestir de Sant Salvi, in the hills outside Girona. Surrounded by everyone who got us here.
Josie goes to heaven
Our sweet Josie passed away suddenly. She was her spunky, loving self right up to the end, eating, playing and being Josie. A quiet illness took her in a matter of hours, and we take comfort knowing it was fast and that she felt no pain. She simply closed her eyes for a nap and woke up in heaven.
Nine years was not enough, but she never grew old and never lost her spark. Our protector, our cuddle girl, our little genius, our angel. Wait for us at the gates, Jojo. We'll be together again.
Read Josie's storyJoey joins our family
Joey, named after his daddy, Joe, and his late sister, Josie, comes home. Beyla has a new best friend, and the next chapter starts here.
