Well, David and I actually disagree on the first time we met, but as he has quickly learned from every man who is married, the female is always right! So I'll tell you the real story. David lived with a couple of guys that I was friends with in pharmacy school, so we had met at a couple of random get-togethers. One night, my friends and I decided to go to the local bar called County Seat for one of my friend's birthdays. It just so happens that David was invited and brought one of his friends along. By complete chance, we ended up sitting right next to each other at the table. When I sat down, David turned to me and said "Hi! I'm David. It's nice to meet you." I responded immediately with "Hi David, we've actually met before, but I'm Jess." The look on his face of utter surprise, embarrassment, and shock was priceless. He quickly got over the shock and we continued to talk the whole night. After that, the rest was history.

I flew into Philadelphia that morning to spend a long weekend with Jess and her family, or so she thought. After being picked up from the airport by her family, we spent the afternoon touring around Philly and Reading Terminal Market. Little did she know, but we were trying to find ways to kill time before our dinner reservation at the Chart House Restaurant along the Delaware River. We walked into the restaurant and were seated on a private outdoor patio. What Jess didn’t know at the time was that my family, who had driven up from North Carolina, and some of her family members were inside the restaurant looking out behind tinted windows. After being seated, we decided to take a few pictures with the water in the background, and that's when I got down on one knee. Throughout the months of planning and having the ring, everyone involved was able to keep the secret from Jess and she was completely surprised! After she said yes, the hiding family members came down to celebrate as well. Jess and I are both looking forward to celebrating with the rest of you in August!