Let's get married!

Our story began at Stone Tower Winery in Leesburg, VA on October 30th, 2022. Madi had organized a going-away gathering prior to a two-month trip home to Pennsylvania. The attendees included her friends from a CrossFit gym in Arlington, VA. Among them was a new face named Nick, who had first met ‘Coach Madi’ a month earlier as an athlete in one of her classes. At the winery, the two formed an instant connection. Madi impressed Nick with her ability to lead the group in conversation, while Nick’s background and storytelling piqued her interest. Before the winery event ended, Madi had gotten commitments from everyone to meet for dinner back in Arlington at Los Tios, a local Mexican restaurant. This is when Madi called her first shot. Despite riding with the girls to get to the winery, Madi matter-of-factly announced to everyone that she would be riding to dinner with Nick. When they got to the car, Madi stood against a pasture railing at the winery, taking a lingering last look out at the cattle. Nick remembers taking in the scene – for the first time thinking, “That’s a nice view” (he wasn’t referring to the cows). Their next hour with each other would foreshadow a lifetime together. Nick and Madi would spend the time sharing their life stories, testifying to their dreams, and overcoming their internal dialogue questioning, “Is this too prying? Am I oversharing?” Family. Work. Childhood. Relationships. Careers. Kids. Nothing was off the table. The effortlessness, depth, and alignment of the conversation was an out-of-body experience. The dinner followed the plot of a fill-in-the-blank rom com. Madi and Nick sat across from each other, talked, laughed, split chicken fajitas, and might as well have been the only two people in the restaurant. Their first time outside of the gym together ended up being a three-for-one date special. When the two reflect on that day, Nick likes to say, “By the end of dinner, I knew SOMETHING, I just didn’t know what that SOMETHING was.” Nick and Madi enjoyed the next two months as virtual pen pals. Despite Nick’s desire to FaceTime Madi in the second month of her absence, he was able to play it cool – fighting the urge to come on too strong after their single day together. His crowning achievement during this period came a week before Christmas. Madi was helping her dad, Tom, emcee a karaoke event at Boyarsky's Tavern in Scott, PA. Madi told her dad that ‘one of her friends’ suggested he play ‘Rock with You’ by Michael Jackson. Soon after, Nick would receive a video from Madi panning across the bar with people on their feet and Tom exclaiming, “He got ‘em dancing!” Madi and Nick couldn’t wait to be reunited to kick off 2023. They made it three entire weeks before they started dating. Nick and Madi spent the rest of the year checking off relationship milestones, falling in love, and planning a life together. In this time, Madi would gain clarity on a question she posed to her mom earlier in the year – “Mom, how do I know when I’ve found the one?” Similarly, Nick finally figured out what that ‘SOMETHING’ was – “I’m going to marry this girl.” On March 29, 2024, Nick drove Madi to Big Meadows during their anniversary weekend getaway at Shenandoah NP to get a few sunset pictures before dinner. Despite Madi’s skepticism from why they had passed so many Blueridge Parkway overlooks on the way to the meadow, Madi remained along for the adventure. When they got to the meadow, Nick led Madi up a short trail to the highest knoll. Conveniently, a park visitor was there reading under a tree (Nick’s staged photographer). After requesting a sunset photo on Nick’s iPhone, the two looked off into the distance. After posing for enough time to allow the photographer to switch cameras, Nick turned towards Madi and got down on one knee. He asked her to marry him, and she said “YES!” We are so thankful to have you here to celebrate our love and the journey we’re about to embark on together!