we're getting married!!

On August 2nd, 2025, Jared had a graduation party. Jared's cousin Corey brought his girlfriend at the time (now fiancé, woohoo!!) Elyse, to the party. Within minutes of meeting Jared, Elyse asked him if he was single. Jared was, indeed, single. He probably hadn't spoken to a girl in months.

Elyse then asked Jared what his type was. He simply said, "Outgoing and adventurous."

Elyse immediately thought of Hannah.

At the time, Jared was living in Newbury Park, while Hannah was living in downtown Santa Barbara. Jared thought it would be smart and safe to meet halfway for their first date in Ventura. However, his friend Tiare convinced him to drive all the way to Santa Barbara to pick her up.

So, on August 14th, Jared drove up to Santa Barbara and took Hannah to Lily's Tacos. From there, they started walking. And walking. And walking.

They ended up walking about six miles all around the beach, boardwalk, pier, and harbor. At one point, they had made a full loop back to the pier, and Jared thought maybe the date was coming to an end. Pointing down the street, he asked, "Is Lily's this way?"

Hannah said, "Yes… but we can keep walking this way."

Jared was stoked to keep the date going.

They continued walking around the harbor and eventually made their way through downtown Santa Barbara. At one point, Hannah asked, "Would you make fun of me if I told you I had a Monopoly Deal in my purse?"

They found a table next to a pizza brewery and sat down to play. This was the first time the competitive spirit came out in both Jared and Hannah.

Jared won the first game.

They never played again.

Not long after, some of Hannah's Westmont friends approached them on the bench. Jared recognized two of them, including an old friend he had grown up with in Malibu. The guys said they were heading to a karaoke bar and invited Hannah and Jared to join.

Jared had previously told Hannah about his extensive karaoke career at the prestigious university known as Dordt. He had performed a wide range of songs, with his favorite being "Break Stuff" by Limp Bizkit. However, he decided that might not be the most appropriate song to perform on a first date.

So, Jared and Hannah walked over to the bar together. Somewhere along the way, they both felt like they had been dating each other forever.

Jared begged Hannah to sing with him on stage, but she chickened out. So Jared and his buddy took the stage and sang "Party in the U.S.A." by Miley Cyrus.

Hannah may not have gotten on stage, but she had no problem supporting Jared from the audience, screaming at him to "SING LOUDER!"

Jared immediately walked off the stage and gave Hannah a side hug. It was awesome.

They said their goodbyes to the boys and left together. It was around 11:00 p.m., and they both had work the next morning. Jared drove Hannah back to her house and walked her up to the front porch.

Hannah, with her usual eagerness, asked, "Are you around this weekend?"

Jared said, "Yes."

And that was the beginning of Hannah and Jared.