One night, not long after Dan transferred to Manhattan College, he accepted an invitation to attend a friend's dorm party. Unbeknownst to him, Katie was also close to the same group of friends and had been invited to attend the same party. Katie and Dan were introduced and spent a good portion of the night chatting each other up and comparing who had a better taste in music. Dan made Katie laugh by pretending to make a stuffed moose sample beverages and talk to anyone who would listen. It was silly and endearing. What sealed their budding friendship was when Dan offered to walk Katie back home across campus later that evening. As if by fate, they quickly found themselves running into one another by surprise at church, at Gaelic Society events, on the Quad, and in the cafeteria after class where they would often share late-night sandwiches. Katie says she fell in love while she and Dan were standing in the shadow of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree on one of their early dates. Dan realized Katie was the one five months later after she took two late-night buses to get from Manhattan College to Westchester Medical Center to visit him in the hospital. Getty Square - yikes! Dan made it official about a month later on June 7, 2009, when he asked Katie to be his girlfriend. That gave the young couple a mere month together before Katie moved to Oregon to volunteer for a year in a school run by the Christian Brothers and Dan moved to Arkansas and Pittsburgh to work on political campaigns. To make it work the couple skyped, talked on the phone, and started a tradition of sending each other stuffed animals to serve as companions on our journeys, a nod to how they met and that moose!

Katie and Dan have had many moments fit for a romcom throughout their journey to engagement but nothing beats the proposal. For months, Dan planned a romantic getaway to Bavaria, Germany. Family means everything to the couple so Dan consulted with Katie's parents, sister, and Opa (German for grandfather) to ensure the trip included special throwback details to her grandparents' courtship and engagement in Germany. This included a visit to the village where Katie's grandparents met. Katie's grandma passed away in 2017 but her grandparent's love endured for 55 years so this ode to their story was truly thoughtful. Dan even went so far as to plan a fake itinerary for a local trip so that Katie would be prepared to travel but still be surprised by the destination. It was indeed a great ruse as Katie was completely shocked to learn where they were going! Shortly into the 4 day trip, on November 9, 2018, Dan took Katie to King Ludwig's Neuschwanstein Castle. Most know this as the "Disney castle" or the "Cinderella castle" as Walt is said to have been inspired by it to create his theme park version. After taking in the autumnal scenery, Dan took Katie out on the balcony of Neuschwanstein. Waiting for a private moment felt like an eternity but within minutes the other tourists departed the balcony area. With a stunning background of the Alps and Bavarian landscape, Dan took Katie's hand and got down on one knee. Still in shock at the whirlwind international experience, all Katie could say was "Absolutely yes!" Later as bliss replaced shock, Katie's German skills kicked in and she whispered to Dan "Ich liebe dich" (I love you!) The couple spent the evening celebrating in Munich at a historic beer hall before continuing their road trip with stops in Bitburg to eat at the restaurant where Katie's grandparents met, Trier to tour Roman baths, and Cologne to dance in the streets for Karneval! It was a dream come true!

Katie is a social worker and play therapist and now works in the Bronx as a Therapy Supervisor for Astor Children Services. Dan works for a Congressman out of Washington D.C The two enjoy traveling, playing an ancient Irish sport (Hurling/Camogie), Duckpin bowling, learning Japanese, doing crossword puzzles, trying new cuisine like Ethiopian and Mongolian, and exploring history.