We met online through Eharmony in the early months of COVID so our origin story is somewhat unique due to the social landscape in 2020. We matched online quickly and decided to meet for dinner in Old Town Manassas where we had an awesome four-hour-long date at the Public House. It was an easy and fun conversation that neither of us wanted to end, but a large group of hipster bros decided to take over the restaurant and we called it a night. We spent the summer getting to know each other and meeting each other's families and close friends. Normal things like trips, concerts, and sports had to wait for a year and in some cases two years to be part of the date rotation. We learned quickly that we could have an awesome time keeping it simple with just each other by staying in, going on fun local dates, or having game nights with close friends and family. Shortly into the relationship, Brandon got Hershey, the extremely excitable Chocolate Lab that quickly had both of us wrapped around her little paws. Brandon achieved sainthood by being extremely supportive throughout the final year of Christiana's bachelor's degree. Including her insistence on getting a puppy as well while still working on said bachelor's degree. Charlie, our not-so-little dude, was adopted and ended up being an American Foxhound that came with a unique brand of crazy. Both pups are the center of our world and live quite the good life. Early on, we found each other to be exactly what the other was looking for from a long-term perspective with common values and goals. It took us a while to find each other, but we couldn't be happier that we did.

On the coldest day ever, January 15, 2022, Brandon successfully pulled off an amazing proposal. He had told me early that morning that he thought it was a good day to hit a couple of bars in old town. It seemed like a good idea, so we dressed up for the elements and knocked out a few errands (the list of errands kept growing). Eventually, we ended up at the Public House for our first stop, which coincidently was the location of our first date. We had a beer and Brandon was anxious to go to the next bar, which was kind of weird considering it was just us there wasn't exactly a schedule. We paid and walked outside where I caught a glimpse of our friend Jersey to the left of the sidewalk behind a tree. Before it really registered, Brandon was down on one knee asking me to marry him. Jersey and her wife Kim were hiding to capture photos of the engagement. After I said yes, I wanted to tell my parents, but Brandon had said they were going to meet us at my favorite restaurant Thai Taste. Once we got there, a sign on the door said it was closed for a private event. Brandon had rented out the restaurant for a surprise engagement party! His family from Pittsburgh and Harrisburg along with many of our local friends and family joined us to celebrate. To say I was surprised would be an understatement.