Like many millennials, we met via a dating app (Hinge). The first date was Dom’s choosing, at Gallery Cabaret (don’t let the fancy name fool you) for some open mic comedy—which, well, turned out to be some pretty atrocious local standup. It didn’t help that Dom and Cat were at the bar sitting perpendicular to the stage, craning their necks to listen to terrible jokes and making conversation awkward. After the show, Cat wasn’t entirely sure if Dom was interested, given the lack of interaction and his deadpan expression. Still, she felt there was “something” about this guy, so the date continued. They went to nearby Arturo’s, where Cat ate 3 tacos by herself because she was starving, and Dom was too nervous to eat so he watched Cat eat said tacos. Despite the awkwardness, Cat’s persistence held—and she got a glimmer of Dom’s famed wit. The last stop of that fateful night in Bucktown was the Green Eye Lounge, where things started to blossom. Perhaps it was the courage that comes with libations, but Dom, knowing Cat’s interest in art, smoothly noted the cool charcoal drawings on the wall (she was impressed). So fast forward about a month later, they went out to dinner and were taking a stroll up Halsted in Lincoln Park. Suddenly, Dom stopped and ever so sweetly, and awkwardly, asked Cat to be his girlfriend—she enthusiastically said yes, and the rest is history.

It was late in the apple-picking season, but Dom and Cat decided to play hooky on a bright and brisk October Wednesday and hopped the state line to Apple Holler in Wisconsin. She thought it was just a fun impulse thing, but he knew otherwise. As they walked through the—mostly picked clean—orchards, something was burning a hole in his pocket. It was a golf ball; or more accurately, a fake golf ball that could open and display her personally designed ring. So when Cat was busy reaching for Golden Rush apples, he slyly took the ball and ***gently*** rolled it down a few feet toward where they would next walk. The added benefit of going apple picking in October was that, thankfully, the place was relatively empty. And as they walked along, Dom made sure to point out the golf ball, remarking how strange it was that it was there among all the apples and odd bits of trash. Apparently Cat didn't think it was all that out of sorts and it wasn't until Dom was physically on one knee that she realized what was happening. They walked around the rest of the orchard that day smiling, awash in the sun and love for each other. Then they had sandwiches, bought some cheddar bread and drove home an engaged couple.