In a grimy dive bar called The Avenue, Miranda and Isabel met for the very first time. It was June 3rd of 2022, and we talked for hours, with a skeleton chandelier over us, sipping tangerine wheat ales. Like fate, we found out that we had the same middle name, we both liked midwestern emo music, and we exchanged pictures of our childhood pets. And since our first date, we have not gone a day without talking.

What followed was a medium-distance relationship and many trips under the bay bridge. With Miranda in West Oakland and Isabel in the Inner Richmond district in San Francisco, it took a train ride and a bus to visit each other. But together, we explored the bay - going on hikes in Rodeo Beach, seeing Norah Jones in Napa, trying every coffee shop in the vicinity of our apartments.

Our first camping trip was to Mount Lassen National Park, a beautiful mountain and forest. We’ve had a national park pass for the last three years, and have visited Yosemite, Muir Woods, Red Rock, Rocky Mountain, Haleakalā, just to name a few. It’s our goal to visit every one!

After a year of dating, we moved in together to a basement apartment in Temescal, Oakland. It was small, with no natural light, but we made it ours. We brought in our first addition to the family. Freddy! Miranda’s childhood dog, a scruffy mutt with a mohawk and a beard. Six months after, we took in Freddy’s brother, Tony, a chihuahua with attitude.

One year later, we finally got tired of the basement lifestyle, and moved in together to the apartment we live in now! In Uptown Oakland, it has been our home for the last two years. And for some reason we decided we didn’t have enough pets, so we adopted a kitten and named her Halloween. (To be fair, Miranda’s mom’s cat was the mother, and someone had to take her in.)

Now with us and our two dogs and one cat, we have traveled and explored and grown together. We have experienced all the amazingness of life - seeing magnificent places, going to concerts and music festivals, having delicious food, and learning each other. We have supported each other through times of sickness and of grief, and uplifted each other in every way.

We are so excited to take the next step, and to celebrate us with all of you! Thank you for joining us at our wedding, and for being a part of our story.

With love,

Isabel and Miranda