We could make this a really short and sweet story of "high school sweethearts." The truth of it is, we did meet in High School; Joe played basketball and Kayla was one of the cheerleaders on the sidelines. Senior year we had our "High School Musical" or "One Tree Hill" moment after a big win at the District game. While this is one of our favorite memories of all time, we were young, which lead to us spending nearly 10 years apart growing and learning more about ourselves. In 2020, after the world changed and Kayla experienced another big loss, Joe reached out to give his condolences. That one message meant more to Kayla than Joe likely realized at the time. Some short months later Kayla sent a LONG Facebook message that went unread and unanswered for FOUR years! In early November of 2024, Kayla learned Joe had moved back to Milford and had no expectations of reaching out again, but secretly hoped that their paths would cross since their friend group was entwined. One night while Joe was on a business trip in Texas he finally read the message from Kayla and finally decided to respond. Hallelujah! After going out with our friend group on Thanksgiving Eve of 2024 the rest is history (and Emma will tell you she called it).

Picture this... a beautiful, kind of windy, cool but sunny Sunday in November two weeks before Thanksgiving. Kayla, her sisters, her grandmother (as many know as Ninnie), and Joe were getting ready for a night out in Boston with dinner reservations at a lovely Italian restaurant. After Kayla was the first one ready, Ninnie asked if they could take a quick visit to Hopedale Pond to breathe after a family filled Saturday hosting Thanksgiving early. Some people may know this, but Ninnie and Kayla have spent some moments at Hopedale together when life feels a little heavy and they need some peace and quiet. Ninnie was named Best Supporting Actress since she was able to turn on the tears and convince Kayla there was plenty of time to go without being late for leaving for the "dinner reservation." After a few short moments of sitting and watching the sun sparkle off the water, Kayla heard over her shoulder, "Hi honey!" Not expecting anyone behind her, Kayla responded with, "What the **** are you doing here?!" to which Joe said, "You know what I'm doing." That's when the excitement set in and Kayla's sisters, Jenna and Emma, appeared with cameras ready to capture the moment. Jenna and Emma also brought along champagne and custom glasses, a new bandana for Meeko, and a cozy "Future Mrs. Atkinson" sweatshirt. Joe could finally take a deep breath that the surprise was complete and he had pulled off the best proposal.