Our Journey

We met in college in Pittsburgh, but we’ve traversed many cities, countries, and timezones over the years, savoring the time we spent in the same place at the same time, and making the most of our long distance eras.

We got to see each other’s hometowns in summer of 2018, but not in the way we might have expected! Rachel studied abroad in Shanghai for the summer, getting the chance to meet up with Brandon’s parents and family – but without Brandon, who was in Washington D.C. for a summer internship. At the end of the summer, Brandon came to visit Rachel at home in Seattle.

In 2019, Brandon graduated from CMU and headed to St. Louis, Missouri for his first job. He also got a new toy poodle puppy, which we named Arbie. We visited each other between Pittsburgh and St. Louis for the next year and a half – until COVID hit in 2020. Free to work remotely, Brandon moved to Bellevue to be closer to Rachel and her family while she was home from CMU. In the midst of the pandemic, Rachel graduated from CMU in 2021.

We moved together (with Arbie!) to Cambridge, MA in 2021, where Rachel started graduate school at MIT, and Brandon worked remotely for a different company. After a year, Brandon moved home to Shanghai, and navigated a 12 or 13 hour time difference with Rachel and his remote job. He moved to Ottawa in spring of 2023, and we were happy to be only a long drive or short flight away. We’ve enjoyed exploring Ottawa and other parts of Ontario and Quebec together when Rachel comes to visit.

Brandon proposed on (American) Thanksgiving in 2024, and we are thrilled to be gathering with you to celebrate our marriage this fall. Rachel plans to graduate in spring of 2026, after which we aim to reunite in Canada or Asia where Rachel hopes to find a research position and Brandon seeks to pursue his entrepreneurial ventures.