Debbie told Cameron she had never been to Clarendon, and never intended to go, so, naturally, Cameron scheduled our first date in the DC suburb. On Tuesday, July 15, 2014, Debbie excitedly Googled "how to get to Clarendon" no fewer than 15 times and left work early for the "long haul" out to the 'burbs. She was 45 minutes early, but refused to admit that it's "not that far" until three years later. Cameron picked Spider Kelly's -- a crowded, stinky bar on Saturdays, and an empty, stinky bar on Tuesdays -- for their date. He wanted to pick a place that had fun games to combat the inevitable first date conversation lull. Despite Debbie's first impression, it was a good spot to get to know each other over a couple glasses of Bell's Oberon and a game of shuffleboard with our own made-up rules. Debbie knew Cameron was a keeper five dates later when he planned a surprise for her -- something she said she had never done. Debbie thought it was a Segway tour around the National Mall. She was wrong (shocking, really). Apparently Cameron knew Debbie was a keeper after our first date, which is when he reserved our tickets to the top of the Washington Monument-- the surprise that sealed the deal.

Fast forward four years later (two of which were spent living together in... Clarendon), Cameron got really good at surprising Debbie. She had been talking about the Christmas panda pop-up bar all week, just waiting for it to open the weekend after Thanksgiving. Anyone who knows Debbie knows her borderline unhealthy love of pandas. After a day of watching Say Yes to the Dress and planning their imaginary wedding, Cameron told Debbie to get dressed; we were going to the panda bar! Best. Bar. Ever. Afterwards, we were lucky to snag some bar seats at The Dabney (one of Debbie's favorite restaurants) for dinner. When we got home, Cameron pulled off his best surprise yet when he asked Debbie to marry him. We opened the bottle wine we bought on our first anniversary, which we had been saving for a special occasion (and which either turned sour or our taste in wine had improved tremendously) to celebrate our engagement. We are looking forward to a life full of surprises, and we cannot wait to celebrate with you!