Like any good dating profile, it pays to have pictures with cute animals. John first liked Lisa's selfie with a penguin. She responded by liking his picture holding a baby goat. After a week of chatting, they met for the first time at Tuscan Village in Salem, NH. They stayed out at the beer garden until well past closing, thankfully the lights stayed on until after they finally wrapped up. It wasn't long before the one date turned into a lifetime.

Lisa had one stipulation for finding an apartment: it had to have a pool. We did not get a pool. However, we did get great neighbors who became great friends, and the fun experience of furnishing and decorating our home for the first time. Our apartment also became the perfect place to grow our family with a furry friend.

After poking John for months, Lisa finally managed to convince him to adopt a dog on the agreed date: Valentine's Day 2023. By November, she was sending him 10-15 dog profiles a day. It became clear that she was more than ready, and they decided to adopt Tessie from Alabama. From the first day with her, they knew they found the perfect dog for them, and every day since has been amazing.

As much as Tessie loved the dog park at the apartment, nothing beats a yard. After thousands of Zillow searches, hundreds of conversations, and dozens of open houses, John and Lisa fell in love with a house in Salem, NH, the same place where they first met. Now, Tessie enjoys chasing the squirrels and rabbits in her fenced in private oasis.

"I know you didn't get me a ring. I shook all the gifts under the tree and none of them felt like a ring." - Lisa to John 1 hour before getting proposed to Every Christmas Eve, Lisa's uncle's neighbor has a single goal: to chastise John for not proposing yet. This year, John came prepared. As soon as Tony arrived to provide his usual comments, John pulled out his secret weapon: the ring Lisa had pointed out months before. It was the first documented case of John successfully surprising Lisa.