June 13, 2020

Zeke and I had been going on outdoor and distanced dates to stay safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. We played tennis and went on walks. We made it official on June 13, so you'll see us get married on our 6th anniversary!

~Lily

September 2020

Once the worst of the pandemic had passed, we did actually go on some real dates. Here we are on a trip to Starved Rock with Laura and Alex. We like to make snacks and have movie nights together. We also love going to the farmers markets nearby on summer weekends.

~Zeke

Humboldt Park

Some of the photos you'll see along this timeline were taken at Humboldt Park. We chose to have our engagement photos taken there to honor Zeke's Grandpa Hector, who helped establish a Puerto Rican presence here, and whom we love very much.
(October 1948 - May 2022)

~Lily

Picnics

We love celebrating our summer anniversary with a picnic in any nearby park or at the forest preserve, another early Covid-friendly date spot. We still like finding new places to go in different areas of Chicago, especially outdoor spots and cafes.

~Zeke

Leonidas

Leonidas Café in Evanston has become a favorite brunch date spot for us. We share crepes and a pastry, and then we get to pick out a few chocolates from behind the counter. Zeke learned pretty early on that chocolate can solve pretty much anything.

~Lily

The Cats

If you know us, you know our cats, Football and Pretzel. One of Lily's friends had found Football abandoned in a cage and took her in, only to realize he was too allergic to keep her - so Lily recruited me. She was pregnant when we took her in and she gave birth in my closet, so now we have Football and her kitten Pretzel.

~Zeke

Beach

Who doesn't love the beach? I mostly go to dip my toes in and listen to the waves. Zeke mostly goes to clear his head and find beach glass. We're lucky to be so close to the lakefront, and we both dream of moving even closer to it one day. So when our photographer mentioned the idea of multiple locations for our photoshoot, we knew we wanted to get to the beach.

~Lily

New Years, 2024

Ringing in the new year together is always fun for us...especially for Lily when she has a cocktail and a noisemaker!
Every year we try to find a new place to be, except for the years we've celebrated with family. We like to list off something we're proud of, something we're looking forward to, and something we've learned.
During this past year of being being engaged, we're proud of ourselves for growing together; we're looking forward to being married already; and we've learned how to DO S.

~Zeke

March 2, 2025

Zeke proposed! It was perfect for us. I couldn't have asked for a sweeter proposal than at home with the cats.
We went to Geja's for a surprise fancy date, which got me a little suspicious, but I thought he was just being nice.
When we got back, the cats came to greet us at the door like they always do (you can see Football behind us in that picture - she thought Zeke getting down on one knee meant she was getting extra attention), but they were wearing collars with bells on them.
Zeke had ordered special tags that had the words 'Will You Marry Me' on them. When I turned around, he was down on one knee. Best day ever!

~Lily