We're getting married!

6761 Bull Run Post Office Rd, Centreville, VA 20120

We initially met on Bumble and texted and called each other for about three weeks before our schedules lined up enough to meet in person. Our first date was in downtown Leesburg at Taste of Leesburg, where Julie also met half of the firehouse.

In February, 2024, I had the unfortunate experience of being subjected to some pretty terrible things due to my line of work. Julie was my rock, going above and beyond to make sure I was supported and my needs were taken care of in the moment. Although Julie and I had been dating since August, 2022, I think that is when our bond grew the closest. Julie came to the beach with me and my family in August of 2024. While we were there, I watched Julie play with the younger children in my extended family and couldn't help but picture her being the mother of my children. I purchased a ring Julie designed as soon as I came home. (How I picked the ring is a totally different story which I will let Julie tell). If there is one thing to know about Julie it is that she loves the color Pink. It perfectly reflects her bubbly personality. Julie also loves DC, and as I am sure you can imagine, Cherry Blossoms. I reached out to a friend from college who lives in Kentucky. I explained to him that I purchased a ring and that I wanted to try to find a way to propose to Julie during the Cherry Blossom season. My friend explained that his wife had been to DC several times and also liked Cherry Blossoms, and together, we decided to "plan their visit" into town. I explained to Julie that my friend and his wife were coming to town, and that his wife is an amateur photographer who wants to photograph the monuments and the Cherry Blossoms. All of these details, and many more nuances to the "planned trip" are true, except that my friend and his wife were not actually coming to town. I suspect Julie knew that I was up to something when I told her I had everything planned like two weeks in advance and didn't want any of her input. If it weren't for the last minute, I would not get anything done. My friend and I went as far as renting a specific parking spot to cover for some of the ad-libbing I had to do to make the story make sense. On March 22, 2025, Julie and I got on the second metro (LOL missed the first one by about a minute) into town and made our way to the Cherry Blossoms. We originally planned to meet my friend and his wife in the FDR memorial. While I was on the metro, I was texting / snapchatting with my friend who was still in Kentucky, and also texting a photographer on the side while Julie was not looking. The photographer finally met up with us in the 4th part of the FDR memorial and I asked Julie to be my forever wife at the base of the stairs there. At least, I think I actually asked her to marry me. I started with "Nick and Nora aren't actually going to meet us here..." and then I blacked out. After, we had an approximately hour photo shoot. I told Julie that I wanted to enjoy the moment with each other and not be distracted by phones or people calling to congratulate us. She agreed to keep her phone away and not tell anyone about the engagement. We walked the monuments and soaked up our time together for about an hour before making our way to the Old Ebbit Grill where we sat at the bar and had Brunch. Julie still raves about the Crab Cakes Eggs Benny. At the conclusion of brunch, Julie and I agreed we would Metro to our favorite spot - The Wharf - and enjoy a drink together before finally texting our friends and telling them the exciting news. Julie and I made our way to Tiki TNT where Julie was surprised by a room full of friends and family anxiously waiting our arrival and eager to celebrate with us throughout the night. :)