We're Getting Hitched!

The first day they met will be a day Amanda will never forget...and a day Daniel has no recollection of... To be fair to Dan, it was a birthday celebration for a mutual friend, and that mutual friend was the only person he knew. So if you know Dan...you know he was cool as a cucumber on the outside, and the meme of the dog in a house fire claiming "everything is fine" on the inside. So Amanda will forgive him for the lapse if he can forgive her for her first thought (look at that quiet dude who I will forget about for a year!). So fast forward a year, Amanda ends up joining Dan's volleyball team via that mutual friend, and impresses him with her incomparable bump, set, spike skills. Pretty sure that first ACE was when he fell in love... A season goes by with exciting wins and disappointing losses, and ends with a love that will last forever...oh wait, before we get to forever, we must first end the argument of who is responsible for starting this whole party in the first place. It was that fateful day, Halloween of 2018, when Amanda asked Dan to join her for a fun fall corn maze...little did they know they'd be walking the corn maze of life side by side for the rest of their lives. (Dan WILL try to convince you he would have asked me out "eventually" so you know if that were the case we might not be planning a wedding right now). Debate settled, Amanda might have got the ball rolling, but we all know it takes two to tango. Since that beautiful fall day, Dan and Amanda have chosen each other every day, and are so excited to continue choosing this love and this life together.

Alright, we'll skip the boring middle part (the first dates, the first kiss, the first gifts, the first time living together, I mean, it's interesting to us, and probably no one else) and jump to the proposal! Setting: Quarantine, Mood: stir crazy, Dan and Amanda: Burnt out. Cue vacation planning. With the world slowly opening up again, and having been through some interesting changes over the past year, Dan and Amanda decided to plan a vacation to Bar Harbor, Maine, one of Dan's favorite vacation spots from childhood. Apparently, so many people now love Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park too, that you must reserve tickets if you wish to drive to the summit of Cadillac mountain at the most desired time of day: sunrise (good travel tip for all you adventurous people out there). All throughout the weekend, Dan was uncharacteristically upset about not getting those dang sunrise tickets. (another good travel tip: they sell out in less than 2 mins so good luck). Amanda, being the loving supportive girlfriend she is, assured Dan that it was no big deal and they could go another day or another time. Dan insisted "it won't be clear ANY other day" but Monday, and was weirdly bummed about the whole thing. Not suspicious at all...

Amanda and Dan arrive in beautiful Bar Harbor on a Sunday, and spend the afternoon walking and exploring (and eating really good lobster rolls). Dan was (apparently) over the disappointment of no sunrise, and had settled on "7am which is basically the tail end of sunrise", so the next day and a half could be enjoyed by all. Tuesday morning, Dan and Amanda rise bright and early (but not sunrise early), to make the drive up Cadillac mountain to see the beautiful view of the harbor and the park. Amanda is immediately taken in by the sights, and in true millennial fashion, whips out her phone to snag some fantastic panoramic pics. Dan appears to be on a mission, however, and continues to walk a distance away, increasing Amanda's frustration ('where are you going? You haven't even looked at the views!), until he finally slows his roll and Amanda can catch up, and get that perfect panorama. As Amanda exclaims how beautiful it all is, and looks to find her boyfriend to share the moment with, she turns to see him on one knee with a beautiful, sparkly ring in a beautiful box (that of course he made). Now, if you've been engaged, you know that everyone always asks "how did he do it?!" and "did you know it was going to happen?!" and "what did you say?!" (okay we all know what I said obvi or you wouldn't be reading this now). All I will conclude with is that the moment was special, it fit us just right, and we wouldn't have wanted it any other way. And now here we are, and we absolutely cannot wait to see you all to celebrate on our Wedding day!