The Meeting
Eugene, Oregon
We both chose the University of Oregon—Tim heading south from Portland, and Caitlin coming from Spokane. We originally crossed paths in an Honors College class when Tim was a sophomore and Caitlin a freshman, but it wasn't until two years later at an art party showcasing Caitlin's photography that we finally reconnected.
- Our first date at Roma Cafe (which sadly no longer exists).
- Caitlin getting a rapid crash course in the world of Ultimate Frisbee.
- College houses, shenanigans, and watching our first total solar eclipse.
- Making lifelong friends and roommates—many of whom will be celebrating with us at the wedding!
Tim stuck around Eugene for an extra year working full-time for the campus Recycling and Compost program while Caitlin finished her degree. Once she graduated, we decided it was time to leave our PNW comfort zone and make a massive leap together.
Barndance
Aalto Lounge
Frisbee Prahm
Pinning!
New England Autumn
Lobstah Roll Incoming
Roof Twinning in Covid
Nantucket!
The Departure
Boston, Massachusetts
In 2018, we traded the PNW for Boston. Tim jumped into a 5th-grade classroom with City Year, while Caitlin navigated biotech. Those three years were a massive era of growth:
- Year One: Roxbury & Brookline. Living separately, commuting endlessly on the 66 bus, learning the city, and making incredible friends.
- Year Two: Jamaica Plain. Moving in with friends into a cute apartment right on the Orange Line. The people and the times were the absolute best—then COVID hit, locking everything down and suddenly turning life into a tight, 5-person WFH bubble.
- Year Three: Roslindale. Finally finding our own quiet space. Biking to the farmers market, walking the Arboretum & Jamaica Pond, and navigating Zoom classrooms.
As the world paused, we realized Boston wasn't our forever place. Feeling the pull to be closer to family, we quit our jobs, packed up the car, and took the long way home.
The Long Way Home
In September 2021, we packed our Subaru with everything it could hold, left the rest of our furniture on the curb, and started the drive west. Without jobs to rush back to, we were in a rare liminal space where we felt completely untangled from time. We lived on the road for a month, opting for Airbnbs only a couple of times and relying almost entirely on the couches of friends and family—a lot of whom will join us at the wedding.
- Leg 1: The East Coast Cities. We drove out of New England through a hurricane, caught a final East Coast sunrise, and made our way through cities like DC for a stop at Ben's Chili Bowl. Having our bikes with us meant we could park the car and actually get a feel for the streets of each city.
- Leg 2: The Middle and Nature. After Chicago, the landscape opened up. We rafted in Golden, Colorado, crossed back into the West, and headed north to explore Jackson, the Tetons, and Yellowstone. For the long driving stretches, we had a strict routine: Tim was the early morning opener, and Caitlin was the afternoon closer.
- Leg 3: The Pacific Return. We rolled back into Oregon just in time for the annual grape crush at Phelps Creek in the Gorge. Before officially settling in Portland, we took one final lap down the coast to San Francisco to watch a Ducks vs. Stanford game with college friends.
Love Park Philly ❤️🛹🚲
Moab -- Tim pretending he's not dying of sickness
Back in the Gorge -- Phelps Creek Grape Crush
Reunited w/ the Pacific
The Return
Portland, Oregon
Moving to Portland brought its own unique challenges and triumphs. Even though Tim grew up there, he hadn't lived in the city since 2014. For Caitlin, this was an entirely new city to call home. We spent our first ten months living with Tim's parents, which allowed us to find our footing while spending precious, meaningful quality time with Tim's dad before his passing.
- Navigating new careers around the exact same time: Tim starting at Clever, and Caitlin heading to First Tech, then Nike, and back again.
- Moving into our own place in the Sunnyside neighborhood and figuring out what it actually looks like to live and grow up in Portland as adults.
- Biking around town, playing tour guide for visiting friends, and catching sunsets at Mt. Tabor and Mocks Crest.
- Taking amazing camping trips all over the region and building a strong local community to share everyday life with.
Thanksgiving on Tabor ❤️
Nothing beats the Oregon coast
Ape Caves and Moss
Eric + Mikaela's Wedding!
Drick enters our life -- so smol 😻
Pulled Pork for New Years birthdays!
Montana Sapphires in Eugene 💍
Cabo Engagement Trip
Setting Roots
The Present
After years of transitions, we finally found stability. Moving into our home in the Sunnyside neighborhood gave us a true hub to set our roots. We feel incredibly grounded here and hope to make it our home base for a while.
- Frederick joining the family in 2022, bringing a warm (and minnow-driven) energy to everyday life.
- Establishing our own household traditions. With our birthdays falling on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, hosting the holidays became a cornerstone of our home.
- Getting engaged completely inside a cloud at the top of Spencer's Butte in Eugene. Caitlin's ring features a Montana sapphire, a beautiful nod to her family's Montana roots.
- Navigating the profound loss of Tim's dad in 2023. Leaning on our community helped distill what matters most into four core values: Joy, Savor, Family, and Unity.
Those four values led us directly to this celebration. We can't wait for you to join us in the Gorge to share in the life we're building.
The Destination
Hood River, Oregon
Everything leads here. We are gathering at The Griffin House, a 120-year-old home perched on the cliffs of the Gorge.
The Griffin House has sat on these cliffs since 1900, watching the river flow by for more than a century. Over the years, it has been a dairy farm, a Prohibition speakeasy, and a quiet family home. For us, there was something special about the character of a place that has been grounded in this rock for so long.
We appreciate the feeling of permanence here. Perched right on the edge of the cliffs, the house is exposed to the wind but wide open to the river—the perfect place to slow down and truly savor being together. It feels like the right setting to unite our families and gather our pasts in one circle before we head off into our future together.
The Wedding Party
Mima & Michael Scarpelli
Monica Wright
Ashley Waters Maid of Honor
Angela Boulet
Lauren Helmbrecht
Claire Shaughnessy
Megan Pelos
Rianna Revada
Chris McGinn Best Man
Casey Erickson
Hogan Marhoefer
Tim Breninger
Zane Eby
Nick Scarpelli
Matthew Diedrick