We're getting married!

Jake was teaching and coaching football at State College Area High School, where he was a positions coach for tight ends and met Stephen Scourtis (aka “Dory”). For two years Jake had worked closely with Stephen and helped him to improve his football mental game by working on communication and playing on the same team in Call of Duty. After much success and growth as an athlete and student, Stephen had selected Harvard University for the next stage of his career. With high school graduation approaching, he and his twin sister, Anna, were looking forward to having a graduation party on June 4, 2023. Meanwhile, Angie, who had just started her mobile chiropractic business in Baltimore in April, learned about the party and checked her schedule. Realizing she had a hair appointment scheduled for that day, she quickly rescheduled it so that she could join in celebrating her cousins’ graduation. Come celebration day, Angie and her family were enjoying Greek food and good conversation when a large man wearing sunglasses joined their table. “What’s up, doc?” was his welcoming phrase and he introduced himself as Coach Freemo. He shared stories about Stephen and his teammates and, for some reason, kept referring to Stephen as “Dory.” “Okay, I gotta ask. How did he get that nickname?” Angie asked. Coach Freemo didn’t have that answer but later during the party, someone else did. Jake arrived at the party in shorts, a tank top, and a bucket hat with the image of a goat on it. He sat at the table with Angie and her mom and dad and shared his stories of working with Stephen, including the time that Stephen had been sitting with his lunch pack, eating snacks during practice, and been distracted by a passing butterfly. . . thus, the nickname “Dory.” As Jake talked, Angie noticed his heartfelt passion for coaching and teaching, as well as his blue eyes and sweet smile. Jake found Angie’s glowing smile and personality warm and inviting. He couldn’t’ help wanting to lean in for more conversation with her. When he went to the side of the house where the other coaches were having cigars and drinking ouzo, they all asked him what he was doing. Why didn’t he go back to talk with the beautiful girl? What was he waiting for? Indeed, throughout the party, Jake found himself trying to be close to Angie so he could engage in more conversations with her. Not so slyly on his exit, Coach Freemo asked for Angie’s Instagram username so that Jake could overhear her answer. The next day, Jake followed her on IG, noticed she had done the Friends TV Show Experience, and knew he had met a fellow fan. He earnestly contemplated breaking the boundary between coach and athlete to get to know Stephen’s cousin. He knew it was a risk worth taking because of the connection he had already felt with Angie. Jake called his sister that day and said, “I think I met someone.” “Okay?” she responded, unsure whether there was more to this statement. “I think I really met someone special,” he said with a hopeful heart. Soon after that first meeting, Jake and Angie discussed their mutual love of Friends and realized they also recognized each other’s movie quotes. Three days later, they had their first date down in Baltimore at the Wicked Sisters restaurant. Thank goodness Angie had rescheduled her hair appointment. :)

It was fall in State College and the couple was hiking Mount Nittany. Jake piped up: “We should go back to Longwood Gardens in December. See if Abi and Nick want to go!” “Oh! That sounds fun!” Angie bubbled up. She loves Christmas lights, and Longwood Gardens’ are like no other. She opened a group chat with Abi, Jake, and herself to discuss plans and come up with a date that worked. Ideas swirled but no official plans were made. After the hike, while driving home, Jake made a comment about Abi agreeing on December 27 in the group chat. Angie squinted her eyes and challenged his statement: “Abi never said which date worked in the group chat . . . sounds like you’re making secret plans with my bestie to do something special.” Disappointed and angry with himself for the slip-up, Jake got back to the drawing board to find a way to surprise her when he popped the question. Eventually, the couple made plans to go up to New York City in December to celebrate Jake’s birthday during a weekend visit with his sister and brother-in-law, Emily and Drew. Angie knew Emily and Drew were planning to surprise Jake with some restaurants that he would appreciate because of their culinary expertise. As they all spent the morning together exploring Little Island at Pier 55 and then getting massages, Angie had thoughts and inklings that something special might happen, but there was so much to do that she didn’t spend too much time on the notion. Later that day, they enjoyed attending the Broadway show, The Cursed Child, a Harry Potter spin-off, and visited Times Square for a short while. The next day was the full adventure day in the city! All of the plans were in place with sites to visit, lunch reservations at 2:30 p.m., and dinner at 7:00 p.m. Emily and Drew led the way as they explored 34 th Street, roamed through the seven stories of Macy’s, and window- shopped at the Pandora and Nike stores and any other brand-name store they could think of. While they were admiring the enormous Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, a wonderful woman from Long Island parted the sea of people to let them through, saying “Ba-row a moment of ya lives for this lovely family to have their pic-tcha taken by the tree.” “No way I can do it here,” thought Jake. “I’d get trampled.” They made their way down 5 th Avenue and to Central Park, with Angie very aware of how sore her feet were getting and how frozen her nose was. Emily made the perfect guide through the park, sharing its history and fun facts. The couples shared pictures by the fountain and walked down the main path towards the pond. As they made their way over the Bow Bridge, they found a cutoff with some benches where they could rest their legs for a few minutes. Angie and Jake sat on one side, and, across the way, sat Drew and Emily. They all looked at the water, watching the ducks waddling across the frozen pond, and then Jake asked, “What time is the lunch reservation again?” “2:30,” Emily responded. Jake paused a moment and asked, “Wanna call and see if we can arrive a little sooner?” Emily nodded and she and Drew stood up and walked a short distance away to call the restaurant. Before Angie knew it, Jake had pivoted down to one knee to face her, taken her hands in his, and begun his speech. Immediately, Angie’s heart fluttered, and her eyes welled up. As Jake continued to recite his well-prepared words, she thought, “Wow, he’s doing so well,” still in shock and trying to absorb all that was happening in the moment. Then . . . “Angela Megan Darcus, will you do me the honor of marrying me?” “Yes!”