It all started in January 2024. She took a risk going on a date with a guy living in North Dakota (he clarified during their first conversation that he had a job interview in DC). Turns out when he did show up for the job interview a month later, they went on six dates in seven days! He liked her. She liked him (a lot). While flirting was definitely not his forte, he could hold deep conversations for hours on topics that do not usually come up on the first, second, or third dates and she loved it. She kissed him goodbye, outside her little Georgetown apartment, before his flight back to North Dakota, not knowing if she would ever see him again. Sometimes fate just happens. He got the job! Prior to his arrival, they spent hours on the phone talking past midnight. Five weeks later, he showed up in a Uhaul. Two weeks after that, he was spending time with her entire extended family in Pennsylvania. His calm demeanor completed her energizer bunny personality, and she fell for him fast. He showed her how to slow down a bit and appreciate the simple things in life: a book on a rainy day, strolling through a Smithsonian museum with no agenda, going on hikes without the entire day planned, and he even taught her the seemingly impossible: the ability to sit still and watch a movie (Emily has never owned a TV!). Enough of slowing down. Back to speedy Emily, she evidently found no reason to take things slow with Brandon. The rest is history! And now for his version… After living in Minot, North Dakota for six and a half years, I was about to interview for the aviation opportunity of a lifetime, flying in the DC area. And I was not going to let a girl interfere with this rare chance. But with only a few phone calls and texts between us I couldn’t resist. Upon arriving in D.C., only two days before my interview, I decided to risk some distraction and went for a short walk along the Potomac with her, expecting to follow up with another date after the four-day interview process was over. Instead, I saw her nearly every night of the interview week, walking around Georgetown talking for hours, ice skating, driving to Baltimore and back to meet her brother. We talked so much and so late into the night that I would pull over to nap on the short 20ish minute drive back to base lodging. It turned out that despite the long hours with Emily, she was not a distraction. I got the job, and within a month I was driving a UHaul to see her again and start a new career adventure. Little did I know I was about to embark on a bigger, greater, more lovely adventure than anything I could imagine in a career. Over the next several months, I saw her devotion to faith, family, and friends. I saw her relentless energy, intensity, and clarity of mind that sharpened me and moved me out of myself. While it took me a little longer than Emily (most things take longer than Emily), 9 months after our first walk in Georgetown, I realized that Emily was the one. With no time to waste (taking after her!), I got a stand-in ring to propose with and took Emily on a grueling 20-mile backpacking trip to an isolated beach in Hawaii and asked her to marry me.