Mark and Therese’s story starts with a little nudge from a mutual friend and a bold move on Mark’s part. On St. Patrick’s Day, OF ALL DAYS, he took the chance and sent Therese a text, setting the stage for what would come. Mark chose City’s Edge, thinking it was a spot halfway between their houses, though what he didn’t know was that Therese already knew it well. She was practically a regular, could walk there from her home, and even drove over to keep that little secret. She had a feeling they might run into some familiar faces during the date Sure enough, about six or seven people she knew showed up during their first date. Finally Therese had to admit, she had been there once or twice. What could have been awkward turned into something easy and natural. Conversation flowed for three hours (well past both of their usual bedtimes) and it was clear there was a spark neither of them wanted to ignore.

Two years after their first date, It was a cold, wintry Friday in March when Mark decided to take over their dog Bear’s pre-dinner walk , something Therese usually handled. But with freshly washed hair, sweats on, and zero desire to step outside into the freezing mix, Therese happily handed over the leash. That’s when Mark’s “subtlety” came into play. He suddenly asked why the living room blinds were still open. Therese, lounging on the couch, shot back matter-of-factly that they only closes them when it’s dark. Little did she know, Mark needed those blinds closed so he could sneak the proposal gear out of his car without being caught. After about 20 minutes of suspicious backyard trips, Therese assumed he was just throwing out a poop bag. Then her phone rang: Mark saying she had to come outside because there was “something weird” she needed to see. Given their luck, Therese braced herself for a dead squirrel. But while she was bracing, Mark was wrestling Bear into a tux and setting up rose petals like a man on a mission. When Therese finally shuffled out in her slippers, she was met with Bear sitting proudly with a rose in his mouth, petals scattered along the side of the house, and Mark down on one knee. Both of them teary-eyed, Mark asked Therese to marry him, and she said yes. After a few happy phone calls (and a lot of showing off Bear’s tux), they capped the night in the most fitting way possible, back at City’s Edge, the place where it all began.