It all started when Andy came to Burlington to go snowboarding with a friend of Allison's in February 2010. That evening, before heading out on the town Andy and some friends went to Allison's apartment. Andy was introduced to Allison and she excitedly shared that she too is Irish! Andy attempts to be witty and says "Em no you aren’t...", to which Allison responds, "Well, you're an ass$#!@ aren't you!!" That evening we went out to RJ's, a local bar in Burlington. Andy spent the night talking about how he was dating the girl of his dreams. Allison thought he was a tad crazy (as he ended up coatless and sitting eating pizza in a snowbank..), but a nice guy and Andy thought Allison was fun and easy to talk to. The next day Allison friended Andy on Facebook (JUST to be friendly). A few months later, Allison reached out to Andy and mentioned she finally met that dream girl of his. Andy shared they had actually broken up... And that he had just destroyed his knee in a rugby game! This opens the door to many hours spent chatting via Skype and text while Andy recovered from knee surgery. Fast forward to August 2010, when Andy visited Allison and friends in Vermont for the weekend to go river tubing and celebrate Allison's birthday at her camp. They went out downtown and of course ended the night at Metronome (the one dance "club" in Burlington) for 90's night. The massive knee brace wasn't going to stop Andy from busting his Michael Jackson moves, or landing his first kiss in the middle of the sweaty metronome dance floor. And the rest is history...

It began with a decoy long weekend away to Boston and NYC for Andy's “work conference”. Allison came home from work early to get ready and pack. She had a migraine and was surprised that Andy was so willing to let her take a little nap before getting ready. She finally got herself going, showered, and packed up for the weekend. After what felt like FOREVER, Allison finally came down the stairs and saw Andy in his new velvet blazer, to which she immediately says "oh no, you can't wear that..." At this point Andy was sweating profusely and asked Allison for a hug. While hugging, Allison began noticing that Andy's phone was rigged up and facing them... When she asked what that was about, he began his sweet speech about being best friends and knelt on one knee to propose. After 7 years, it should not have been so shocking, but Allison could not have been more surprised. After repeating "are you serious?" and "is this for real?”, she said "Yes!" and he put the beautiful ring on her finger. Still questioning whether we were going to Boston and NYC, Andy shared with Allison that it was all a ruse to get her the days off work so they could spend a few days together to celebrate. This was going to be kicked off at dinner together. While Allison wanted to call her parents and his parents, Andy asked that they wait until they reach dinner. They arrived at Sardella's and Allison immediately saw her parents in the window of the restaurant. They walked in to find Andy had set up a dinner with Allison's parents and brother. There were lots of hugs and excitement. A few moments later, Andy's family walked in! Not only did Andy hide an engagement ring and proposal, he had brought their two families together to meet for the first time and celebrate together. The weekend was filled with shopping, family dinners, the most insanely cold rugby game, and capped off with an amazing engagement party with our wonderful Newport family. See you in Waterford