It was the annual Fan Community Group Friends-giving party, and there was a new guy coming. Bethany happened to grab a seat next to Calvin, and over plates filled with turkey and trimmings, she asked him the only thing she could think to ask an engineer. "So, have you heard they are digging a third Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel??" It wasn't much of a conversation. But the night went on and as they transitioned to turkey trivia (we were robbed of a win) Calvin started to think Bethany was pretty cool and funny. She barely spared him a thought. Over the coming months, Bethany's opinion of Calvin would take quite a turn. He continued coming to the group, and she saw that he was not only smart, funny, and committed to his faith in Christ, but they also had a LOT in common! Books, Star Wars, a deep, terrible love of grammar and linguistics. "Do I want to date this boy??" She (mostly) jokingly texted a friend in the Spring. Calvin had just sent a long message to the Bible study group chat recommending some great podcasts for her. She was smitten. He had been for a long time.

The community group end-of-year cookout happened to fall the day before Bethany's birthday. Secretly, she was hoping someone would remember and say something, but the night wore on and no one did. Until Calvin piped up, "hey, let me know when you're heading out. I want to walk you to your car. I have something for you." Nervous and only slightly (very) awkward, they walked down the line of cars under lit streetlamps. Calvin pulled a small gift bag out of his car. "Happy birthday!" It was a pair of handmade blue and silver earrings that his sister had made. The moment was perfect, the time was right... Calvin said some very nice things to Bethany, but when it came time to ask "would you go out with me," he froze, unsure of how to make that transition. Bethany, however, knew where this was going and took a leap of faith herself. "So, do you want to get coffee sometime soon?" (Calvin hates coffee.) "Yeah, I would love to." Five days later, we got ice cream.

The week after Calvin chose the perfect ring, he casually (maybe too casually) suggested to Bethany that they "go to a park or something" on Sunday evening. What she didn't yet know was that he was already planning to take her to Maymont, one of her favorite spots in the city and the site of some of their best early dates. After a stressful afternoon watching rain fall off and on, the clouds finally dried up and the plan was on! Calvin met the photographer, Laura, half an hour before Bethany was due to arrive at the park, so they could scope out the perfect spot. He settled on the banks of the pond in the Japanese garden, under a picturesque willow tree. After hauling his tail back up the tall steps to the park entrance, he managed to catch his breath just in time for Bethany to arrive (and promptly take it away again). Calvin somehow kept the conversation going despite his mind racing as they walked down to the garden and around the pond. (He definitely rambled about Stardew Valley for way too long.) But at long last, they finally reached the spot. Unlike that night 10 months earlier, the words came easily this time. He had never been more sure of anything. He told her once again how special she was, and that he couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with her. He knelt down, pulled the ring box out of his pocket, and said, "Bethany, will you marry me?" The look on her face said it all. He had never seen her so overjoyed. She said yes.