After a number of swipes and a few awkward dates with the likes of capitol hill interns, aspiring real estate agents, and life long academics, Justin and Katie finally matched on the online dating app "Hinge". The smooth talker that Justin was, he sent a few cat heart eye emojis and dropped a couple of sweet lines that had Katie swooning from the get go. They agreed to meet up for a casual drink at the most romantic spot I... I mean, Justin... could think of. Brickside in Bethesda. A sports bar. Justin arrived early to ensure he had time to get his heart rate back down to slightly elevated with the help from a couple of Miller Lites, while Katie was running a bit behind due to having a cavity filled an hour prior. When Katie arrived and the two began to talk and sip on their respective drinks, Justin couldn't help but notice tiny drops of Katie's Blue Moon slightly seeping out of the right corner of her mouth. Katie had began noticing it as well and came clean about not really being able to feel that side of her mouth at the moment due to the novocaine. The two laughed about it for a minute before deciding to order an appetizer. This was the moment that Justin knew he might be on to something. Katie confessed to being a regular at the bar and suggested an order of "Totcho's", a plate piled high with tater tots, pulled pork, sour cream, guac, and salsa. Not only was she beautiful and easy to talk to, but she was a regular at Justin's favorite bar and wanted to eat tater tots with pulled pork on the first date. It was like she was sent down from Heaven just for him. After the meal, the two walked outside to say goodbye where Katie promptly high-fived Justin. As Justin turned to walk away assuming this was goodbye and that he had flopped on his best date effort yet, Katie called him back for a warm hug. They then agreed that date #2 was going to be a thing. Little did they know what was in store...

After holding on to the ring for weeks, Justin worked up the courage to ask Katie's Father, Vince, for Katie's hand in marriage. On December 16th, Justin made the trip to Frederick. Justin arrived and nervously rang the doorbell. There was no answer. He waited a few minutes, still no answer. At last, Katie's Grandmother opened the door to inform him that he could come in but Vince was asleep. Vince had attended a neighbor's Christmas party the night before and had indulged in some holiday cheer and was in desperate need of a nap. Puzzled, Justin sat on the couch for 15 minutes talking about something with Katie's grandmother until she volunteered to go upstairs to awaken Vince so Justin could speak with him. Nervous beads of sweat rolled down Justin's forehead as Katie's Grandmother uneasily climbed the steps while holding onto the railing for dear life. Thankfully she was able to awaken Vince to have the conversation 28 years in the making. After 10 surprisingly stress free minutes, Vince granted Justin his blessing to propose to Katie and quickly changed the subject to a camping trip. A week later, Justin and Katie awoke on Christmas Eve in their respective family's houses to spend the holiday as they always had; completely separate. As day turned into night, Justin did not attend his family's festivities and instead, nervously waited in his car outside Katie's parents home awaiting a text from Katie's mother that it was okay to sneak in and surprise Katie with the ring. As Katie opened a picture frame in front of her family that read "Will You Marry Me?" Katie looked up and Justin was nowhere to be found. Justin was late to his own engagement. He did however show up moments later and got down on one knee in front of Katie's family to ask the question. Her response: "Are you sure?" Justin nervously responded "yes" and demanded that she stopped asking if he was sure. The celebration had begun.