Please celebrate our new dream with us.

Devon and Joe met at York College of Pennsylvania exactly two weeks before the end of their Freshman year in May 2013. In that time, amid last-minute studying for finals and packing to move home for the summer, they found any excuse they could to spend time on campus together. They had what they consider to be their first date on May 15, 2013 in the community living room in Joe’s dorm, where they watched The Big Lebowski. Joe played it all so cool, sitting with his arm around Devon through the whole movie. Once they had moved home for summer, they met up for a night out to go to dinner and a movie. All throughout the movie, Devon kept inching her hand closer and closer to their shared armrest, trying to get Joe to hold her hand, which he later admitted he was aware of but too nervous to do! At the end of the night, Joe dropped Devon off at home, and in the glow of an early summer night, Joe asked Devon if he could kiss her. From that point on, the couple spent every second together that they possibly could while both working and finishing school. After dreaming about it for many years prior, the couple finally moved into their first apartment together in July 2019, where they have created a warm, eclectic, and inviting home that they now share with their first pet, a spoiled and lovely little cat named Rowena.

Devon and Joe got engaged September 29, 2020 on a (COVID-safe!) trip with friends to Maine. Leading up to the trip, Joe kept mentioning how he really wanted to go hiking, just the two of them, and that they should really check out this trail, *just the two of them*, to which Devon thought nothing of at first! As Devon and Joe got ready in the early morning for their hike, Devon (dressed in her ratty old hiking clothes with messy, early-morning hair), took note of how nicely Joe was dressing; he donned one of his nice flannel shirts and his dress jeans, something Devon questioned as to why, as they were just going hiking (or so she thought!). On the drive to the mountain, Joe suggested they listen to their love songs playlist, a compilation of love songs, soundtracks, and scores from key points in some of their favorite movies, and he held Devon’s hand the entire drive. When they got to the trail, they took their time walking through the beautiful Maine autumn woods on the crisp and sunny morning. Finally, they got to a point in the trail where the hillside opened up and revealed a towering, glistening waterfall, backlit by the shining October sun. Devon felt butterflies building in her stomach and a buzz of electricity in the air around them; she knew this was a special moment. Joe, his arm around her while they stared in awe at the waterfall among the spiraling autumn leaves, took one last deep breath before turning toward Devon, who immediately burst into tears as she finally knew this was the moment she had waited for since meeting Joe. Through sobs and laughs, Joe asked Devon to spend the rest of her life with him, and she of course said yes. He pulled her in for an extra tight hug, with tears in his eyes and the biggest smile on his face. They stood wrapped together, gazing out at the waterfall, feeling the cool autumn breeze on their faces, glancing up at each other only to start crying all over again the happiest of tears.