Cali and Dave first met in late August 2016 at Penn State. Cali stopped by her brother’s apartment to pick up their shared car keys. She was waiting on the couch when Dave, Ryan’s new roommate, walked into the living room. They exchanged a quick “Hey.” After a bit of silence, Cali explained she was Ryan’s sister and not a random girl on his couch. From a simple conversation, they kept crossing paths, especially since Cali often hung out at her brother’s place. One night, Dave offered to walk her home, and what began as a simple favor blossomed into 8 fantastic years together.

After 2.5 years of long-distance, Cali and Dave agreed it was time to close the gap. When Cali graduated and landed a job in Arlington, VA, Dave kept his promise and moved out to join her in January 2020 in Potomac Towers, unit 305. Just a few weeks later, on March 13, the world shut down. Cali moved into Dave’s one-bedroom apartment “for two weeks”—which quickly became much longer. Those weeks turned into months, then into getting a dog, and then upgrading to a two-bedroom, unit 1030, where they lived for two years and made it their own. The timing wasn’t easy, but it turned out to be perfect.

Dave planned a surprise trip, keeping Cali in suspense about the destination until they reached the gate—a big feat since Cali plans most of their trips and can often sniff out surprises. When they arrived in Cape Town, a city that holds a special place in their hearts, Cali was blown away by Dave’s thoughtful planning—from the first-class seats to an incredible Airbnb. She had a feeling a proposal was coming on this trip but didn’t know when. On the very first day, Dave took her up a mountain and surprised her with a proposal, with a photographer there to capture the moment. Six years earlier, Cali had spent a summer working in Cape Town, and Dave had visited; it was where they first fell in love with the city. After all this time, getting engaged there just felt right.