We're off on our next adventure...

A long, long time ago, Michelle was a bar tender at Westborough House of Pizza and David played for the Bar's softball team. After every game, the team would go to the bar for pizza and beers. Michelle was working after one game and that is when David saw her for the first time. David realized he would have to say something that would stand out from the rest of the pack if he wanted to get Michelle's attention. In a crowd of softball players drinking pitchers of beer, David alone ordered a glass of water. Michelle respected that he wanted to hydrate after running around a field for a few hours (she was in nursing school at the time), and so began a conversation that lasted the rest of the evening. After exchanging Facebook info, David waited a respectable three days to reach out to Michelle--she ghosted him for three weeks. FB messaging turned to texting, and after some time David and Michelle decided to go on a date at Not Your Average Joe's (an ideal eating spot--not too expensive, not too cheap). Michelle, to her surprise, found herself talking nonstop for two hours straight then immediately inviting her date out for a coffee. Despite not partaking in the joys of caffeinated beverages, David said yes. Two days later, Michelle invited her new friend to join her in a 5K road race, because what is a better second date then running 3.1 miles together? Ever the gallant gentleman, David started the race at the same leisurely pace as Michelle. After a quarter mile she told him not to wait up and he decided to take matters into his own legs. On a mission to impress Michelle for all eternity, David sped ahead and finished the race with the fastest time of the day. Winning that race proved to Michelle that David would be excellent boyfriend material, and the two became "official" soon after.

It had been just about three years of wine and cheese nights, traveling, and hiking. Three years of showing each other their favorite things, marathoning movies and shows together, loving each other. Three years of dreaming what the future might bring for the two of them. Michelle wanted to go for a hike to celebrate her 27th birthday. Dave suggested a trip to Moore State Park for the following weekend--fortuitous timing, as Michelle's sister Marie would be in town to join them. The plan was almost derailed by a less than desirable weather forecast, but a little bit of rain never hurt anybody. On a damp Sunday morning in June 2019, the group set out for Paxton, MA to hike some trails. Michelle was enjoying what she thought was a simple weekend stroll. David, on the other hand, had much bigger plans for this day. In fact, little did she know that he had been planning this particular day for months with the help of his friends and their families. He innocently suggested a trail that he knew would bring them to the perfect spot to set his plan into motion. The group came across a beautiful pond-side gazebo, overlooking a small waterfall. Michelle walked ahead to get a better look, and the moment arrived. When she turned back around, David had dropped to one knee and popped The Question. There was a lot of high-pitched yelling and Dave almost got tackled to the ground--in the ensuing two minutes of very excited exclamations, Michelle allegedly said "Yes!" But the day was not even close to being done. The drive home for Michelle was a blur, but even she noticed the large number of cars parked on the side of their street. Yes, friends. In addition to painstakingly planning a perfectly wonderful proposal, Dave had also organized a surprise birthday/engagement celebration. It was certainly a day that both Dave and Michelle will remember forever. Michelle for one is still impressed with how well everyone kept the whole day a secret.