The age old story of a girl from NH living in Cambridge who meets a boy from Michigan living in Chicago at the wedding of a mutual friend in Atlanta, Georgia on Cinco de Mayo. We went our separate ways after the wedding, but kept in touch over the next few weeks. Kaitilin had a trip to Chicago planned for June and we decided to meet up for our second date. We enjoyed spending time together so much that we both invited the other to weddings for our third and fourth dates. Over the next 2 years of long distance we made MANY trips to visit each other. We became experts in weekend getaways traveling to Boston, Chicago, NH, Michigan, Deale, Washington DC, Vermont, Maine, Cape Cod, New Orleans, Colorado, Oklahoma City, California, Quebec City, and even a rendezvous in Paris. As much fun as all that traveling was it was harder and harder to say goodbye, so in April 2019 we moved in together in Chicago. Shortly after that on July 26, 2019 Paul surprised Kaitilin by getting down on one knee!

During a business trip to Boston in June 2019 Paul met Kaitilin's parents (Jim and Carolyn) for dinner on the waterfront. He told them of his plan to propose and asked for their blessing, which they gave with great enthusiasm. They all kept the secret for a few more weeks, until Paul joined the Mahoney family on their annual trip to Green Harbor on Cape Cod. Green Harbor is a very special place for Kaitilin and her family, as it is the site of family vacations going back to Kaitilin's mothers childhood. We all looked forward to the trip every year, but none more than Kaitilin's grandfather, John Creedon, who sadly passed away in October 2018. This was the first year at Green Harbor without him, making it a bittersweet trip. The fact that Paul would choose this location to propose meant so much to Kaitilin. It was our first full day on the Cape and after our morning coffee/tea by the ocean we all went to prepare for the days activities. Paul asked Kaitilin if she wanted to go for a walk, which she promptly turned down stating "no, we are going fishing". Thinking quickly Paul revised his plan and asked Kaitilin to take a picture over on a grassy bank by the water. Paul turned to Kaitilin, got down on one knee, and asked her if they could spend the rest of their lives together, she of course said yes!