As much as we’d love to say we locked eyes across a crowded bar and instantly knew we’d found “the one,” the truth is far more millennial: we met on Hinge (which quickly lived up to their slogan—the app that’s meant to be deleted). That said, we were already in the same community center basketball league (different divisions), which might make for a better story to tell the kids someday. Our first date kicked off at my favorite spot, La Bottega—you can never go wrong with cheese and carbs. It was close to where Drew lived, and she was bold enough to share her address with me upfront. I still give her crap for that to this day! We hit it off immediately. Within the first hour, I realized this might be the girl I’d been waiting for. Drew says she knew pretty quickly too. We bonded over our shared love of the outdoors, hiking, working out, and Joe Rogan—it felt like talking to someone I’d known for years. From there, we continued the night at Shanahan’s (living up to my Irish last name), chatting for hours. The following week, we had our second date shooting baskets at the local school near my place, and the rest is history. As a typical guy, I assumed after a few great dates that we were officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Drew quickly set me straight—that’s something you actually have to ask for (how naive could I be?). Turns out asking ‘So… are we official?’ was still a thing in 2023. So on November 5th, 2023, I made it official, and the real fun began. Since then, we’ve packed in so many adventures: celebrating Drew’s first birthday in Leavenworth, visiting my new niece Murphy in Colorado, hiking nearly every trail nearby, paddleboarding rivers and lakes, road-tripping to Laguna Beach (where Drew caught a shark!), racing supercars in Vegas, picking 40 lbs of blueberries, biking around Crater Lake, catching a couple UFC fights, snowmobiling, and exploring Oregon all the way to the Alvord Desert—and that’s just scratching the surface. Drew stumbled upon what would be her engagement ring at an antique jeweler in Portland (Thanks Max!). She knew right away that the trinity diamond band was the one - fitting, since that same easy, "this is it" feeling is exactly what we both felt on our first date. This past Valentine’s Day weekend, I finally devised a plan to lock this down before she realized she was making a grave mistake. I got down on one knee and luckily for me, she said yes. We can’t wait to celebrate with all of you—rain or shine—just two days after our third anniversary!