We’re getting married!

David’s story: I've met a lot of people over the years. I have made some great friends over the years. So online dating wasn't something that wasn't all that scary, more of a "let's give this a shot and see where it takes us”. And through that, it brought Emily to my attention. She jumped out head and toes above anyone else on there. From there we talked for a few months (I like it was a little over two months before we met in person for the first time). And when we finally did, we hit it off.

David’s story: Nervous would be a good way to describe how I was feeling. I think I had done most of the planning for the date, so I had a lot of riding on how that all went. Like what she will think of me, will our chemistry keep going in person, or will we just be all shy and not say much. Honestly, it could not have gone better. We went for lunch at Parker John's, a place that was liked by both of us at the time. Then, the original plan was to go bowling afterward. But when we got there we found out it didn't open for another 2 hours. So we spent that time, in the sun, chatting in the parking lot of the bowling alley. Learning more about each other backgrounds and how well/not well Emily took care of her vehicle. She checked the oil on but hadn't gotten it it's oil change in the last year. So eventually, we get to bowling. Emily bowled in high school. I only ever did it for fun. I won every game, and Emily found out she outgrew her ball (I even scored a strike with it). From there , We sat at the bar for a little bit and chatted some more. Then Emily asked me if I would be willing to join her family for dinner. I said yes, but first, I'd have to swing by my place and let the dog out. That was the only time she met Lightning (the family dog I was taking care of for the week who also passed away a month or so later). I joined her family for dinner, they seemed welcoming, and the rest is history.

On June 14, David proposed to Emily. He asked his sister to take her out book shopping to get her out of the house. His sister, Amber, met Emily at Barnes and Noble to get coffee and look through the mounds of books. Then they headed to Half Price Books before going to Victoria’s for lunch. Amber talked up how excited she was to have Victoria’s so they were both excited to go. Upon walking into the lobby, Emily saw David standing there with an outfit change and a huge smile. David had thrown her for a loop by telling Emily that he was going to Greenbay for the day. Emily went and changed before returning to David. David’s sister said goodbye as David led Emily to their seats. At the table, there was a huge bouquet of roses. After the waitress, took their drink orders, David grabbed one of the roses and asked Emily to stand up. He got down on one knee before asking the big question. Emily said yes! Emily’s two friends, Beau and Kaitlynn, were hiding in the next room taking pictures. They had an amazing lunch after the proposal and then went and took engagement photos at Heckrodt Nature Center. It was beautiful! They ended the night with a family dinner including David and Emily’s parents and grandparents. On June 29, Emily surprised David with a little proposal of her own. She didn’t tell a single soul. Emily booked tickets at the Marcus Valley Grand movie theater to see the F1 movie. At the theater, after getting popcorn, drinks, and sitting in their seats, the previews began to play. David was confused at first. He was wondering why he was on the screen. Emily had prepared a video telling David about all the reasons she loves him. She ended the video saying that she wanted to give David an opportunity to say yes to her after having his own special proposal moment. While Emily didn’t get down on one knee, she asked David if he would say yes to her. She gave him a custom made ceramic ring box with a perfect ring inside. David, as they both cried, said yes. They happily watched the movie before going go karting and ending the day with a nice dinner.