Back in 2019, the two of us were a couple of precocious 20-somethings living in Connecticut and going through the motions on all the dating apps. One fateful day on Hinge, Pat came across Becky's profile. Seeing this gorgeous girl who had a proclivity for comedy, movies/TV, and the finer things in life (a good bag of plain M&M's), the choice to swipe right was easy. One message about John Mulaney later, and we haven't stopped talking since. After texting for a few weeks, we decided it was time for our first date. So on June 4, 2019, we met up after work at BAR in New Haven, CT, for some classic New Haven-style pizza. Pat's mind was blown by the concept of mashed potato pizza (give it a try and thank us later) and we talked for hours about our jobs, hometowns, and Hot Rod. After walking Becky back to her car, Pat let out an awkward "Sorry I'm bad at this" and laid the first kiss before saying goodbye. Becky called her mom on the way home, smitten with how the first date went. A couple months and many dates later, Becky joined Pat at a work happy hour. Upon greeting Becky to his colleagues, one said, "Patrick, I didn't know you were spoken for. Is this your girlfriend?". We hadn't had that conversation yet, but Pat let out a nervous, squealed "yep". Regrouping shortly after, Pat had to confirm it was okay that he said that. Becky was more than happy about it, and we've been "official" from then onward. In the 5+ years since, we've shared immeasurable joys and countless unforgettable experiences. Whether it be moving in together in the middle of a pandemic, learning how to temper our opposing early/late-people views, or discovering the world's greatest lazy river in the Bahamas, we've faced it all with smiles on our faces and an ever-growing love for each other. When Becky was offered a wonderful new job opportunity in 2022, we took our biggest relationship step yet by moving to Philadelphia, PA. Though we were both nervous about it, we were excited about the opportunity to enter a city and community to call our own. After a seamless transition and a love for our new environment that we embraced together, Pat knew that he was ready for the rest of his life with Becky to begin and started crafting an engagement plan. With a vacation to California planned for September 2023, this seemed like an idyllic time to pop the question. So, Pat began making the necessary arrangements—the ring was purchased, a photographer was arranged to be present, and a picturesque venue was chosen to be the backdrop of the big moment. Nervous about security flagging the ring at the airport (Pat lives in a permanent state of paranoia), we departed for California and Becky almost immediately sensed something was afoot. Shortly after landing in San Diego, Becky asked Pat which dinner of ours that we reserved was he most excited for. After responding with the restaurant planned for our second-to-last night (Pat was very excited for this meal, proposal notwithstanding), Becky had a strong inkling this was the night a potential proposal would happen. Pat also made the constant mistake of reiterating that we HAD to be at the San Clemente Pier at 6 PM on Friday to see the sunset. Nevertheless, after a week of nervously sweating with the ring in Pat's luggage, we made our fateful way to the San Clemente Pier at 6 PM, as was drilled into Becky's head at this point. After asking a "stranger" (the photographer) to take our picture on the pier in front of the sunset, Pat got down on one knee and asked Becky the most important question of his life, "Will you make me the happiest man on the face of the Earth and marry me?". Becky, before Pat even got through asking the question, said yes repeatedly and told him to stand up already. After many happy tears and a longer-than-expected photoshoot, we went to L'Hirondelle, the restaurant Pat had said he was most excited for on the vacation. And guess what? It was the best dinner of the trip.