Emily's cousin Matt happened upon a group of nice young lads in Oakland, CA. Moving across the pond from Ireland, where she had been living for the past 3 years, Emily was excited to hang out with her cousin and in turn his buds. A few casual interactions later Al and Em spent an impromptu day watching futbol (after a weekend of watching football) and the spark was evident. They had a fantastic first date followed by many more. It was only a matter of time before they took it to the next step.

On that cloudy morning, they ventured out of the big city of Dublin, braving windy sheep laden roads, to get to a simple cottage overlooking a stunning lake in the west of Ireland. The cottage had very little heat and hot water, but had a ton of charm and views. They spent the day/night learning about the winds and rains of the Emerald isle. They awoke to mild weather and a desire for exploration. A light lunch in a quaint pub in Connemara was followed by the rush of the city traffic in Galway (also Al's first time driving on the other side of the road). The following day they arose to the unlikely site of sunshine and a rainbow, a personal moment for Emily as this is the sign of her Nan saying hello. On their way to the cliffs of Moher, Al spotted a fantastic example of a Karst landscape and he decided to pull over. He let Emily walk ahead so that he could prepare his proposal. He approached her, took a knee, and began to speak gibberish. "I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, will you marry me?" was all Em needed to hear to say "Yes!". They went on to have a pint at Gus O'Connor's, took a trip to the cliffs, and spent a night in a converted stable in County Wicklow. It was in Em's words, "a trip that reflected the romanticism I have come to know of a country I love so much".