Having both relocated to the Pacific Northwest from other parts of the country, it was in Seattle where our trusty friend, OkCupid, first brought Ben and I together. On theme with this traditional tale of storybook romance, our first date involved sharing a huge plate of cheese-less nachos. We ended up chatting for hours and had so much fun that I was able to overlook a future of dairy-free eating and forgive what we both would later agree was a truly awkward hug goodnight. One date turned into two, two dates into three, and pretty soon we stopped counting and simply began spending time together as a regular part of life.

After a hectic month of moving apartments and bringing home a new puppy (Wally), we finally had a night to catch up and relax together. We enjoyed a romantic home cooked meal and bottle of wine on the roof with the Seattle skyline setting the scene, and while we were taking in the view after dinner, Ben dropped to one knee...to help Wally remove his head from the railing where he had jammed it while playing ball. Once Wally was safe and unstuck, Ben pulled a ring out of his pocket. After months of fake proposals ("Emily, will you make me the happiest man in the world... and call an Uber") my first reaction was "STOP...YOU'RE NOT FOR REAL". It turns out that the ring was real, the proposal was real, and now we are really engaged.