January 1, 2016. It was a dark and stormy day….(No seriously it was). The rain was pounding, as was my head from the night before. My friend and I sat in silence on the couch still dazed from the previous night’s New Year’s Eve festivities. Oversized blankets, College Football, and pizza delivery seemed like the thing in our future. It wasn’t until an impromptu decision to venture out to the bar that changed our plans. This small change of plans, unbeknownst to me at the time, would end up being one of the biggest decisions I’ve ever made and one that would change the course of my life forever…. The bar was A-Town. The scene was packed (per usual). He was a boy, she was a girl. The stage was set. As I took in the ambiance, my attention was caught by a beautiful girl from across the bar (I know this sounds like the opening lines to a country song but bear with me). I didn’t have my best stuff that day but I had to make a splash someway, somehow… I waited for my opening as I pondered my next move. Pause for a second... Me, indecisive? Couldn’t be! Ok, back to the moment. Let’s not overthink this, Ryan. “Go with something simple!” was the sound of the voice of reason in my head…Wait, or were those the actual words of wisdom being delivered over my shoulder by my wingman like a coach during a halftime speech? Nonetheless, it proved to be irrelevant because I did NOT act on that advice. In fact, one could argue what happened next was the exact OPPOSITE. I decided to steal her glass of champagne from the bar that had just been kindly purchased by her best friend and Maid of Honor. An impulsive decision that could backfire in a BIG way if not received in the jokingly, lighthearted manner that I had intended. Evidently it worked because we spent the entire day talking, laughing, and getting to know one other. I’d like to sit here and tell you that I captivated her for hours with my sharp wit and irresistible charm. But, in all honestly, I don’t recall! The only thing I can say with 100% certainty is that the decision to steal a stranger’s drink at the bar somehow led to the love of my life stealing my heart.

Siobhan loves family more than anything (Yes, this includes breakfast tacos and gluten free pasta). So I knew I needed to keep this in mind while planning our special day. We had a trip planned to Saratoga in June 2022 and I knew this would be the perfect opportunity! By that time, I had been hiding the ring for months, tucked away in the bottom of my sock drawer. I researched the surrounding Saratoga area and found the PERFECT spot to propose. There was a park located at the end of main street with a beautiful memorial overlooking the water. I had previously asked her mom for her blessing in December while visiting for the holidays but I didn’t have a date picked out yet! I waited until a few days before leaving for Saratoga to call her mom. YES, I trusted her to keep a secret. HOWEVER, I didn’t want to take any chances, so I waited until the last possible day to reveal my plans. With the date set, her mom on board, and the location picked, I still needed to receive one final blessing. I wanted to have Siobhan’s father, Brian, with us the day I asked for his baby’s hand in marriage. Brian’s guitar was the centerpiece of Jeanne’s apartment and one of her most cherished possessions – a symbol of their everlasting, eternal love. I mustered up the strength and asked permission to have Brian’s guitar staged at the memorial waiting to greet us. Jeanne LOVED the idea and graciously offered to secretly coordinate with our undercover photographer to have it transported to the memorial that morning. Ok, deep exhale… everything is mapped out and I’m ready to do this! What could possibly go wrong? Well….the night before started with our flight being delayed 5 times and ultimately cancelled! I paced around the airport nervously for hours carrying the ring in my backpack. My knuckles must’ve been white from how tightly I was gripping that bag. I refused to let it out of my sight even for a second (I think I may have slept with it on). Luckily, we were able to hop on the last flight out of DCA that put us in Saratoga around 1:00am. Just like I had drawn it up, right? The weather report for Saratoga leading up to the weekend was showing overcast, rain, and cold miserable weather….NOT ideal!! I woke up with my stomach in knots so I decided to get some fresh air while Siobhan started getting ready for the day. I slowly opened the balcony door bracing myself for the worst. As I hesitantly poked my head outside, to my surprise, I was greeted with one of the most beautiful mornings imaginable. I sat there for a few minutes in complete disbelief as the crisp air filled my lungs and warm sun touched my skin. It almost felt as if someone upstairs was pulling strings for me…the way only a skilled guitarist could. What would normally be a 15 minute walk to the park felt like an eternity. As we approached the memorial, the setup became visible and I was shocked at how perfectly this came together. The undercover photographer had even managed to block off the memorial and create the perfect setup including a table with champagne, flowers, and of course…Brian’s guitar. Before dropping to one knee I told Siobhan that I had asked for her family’s blessing but needed one final approval from her dad. She said YES and I immediately became the luckiest man in the world! I spent that entire weekend floating off the ground as we celebrated our engagement. I could not have pulled that special day off without the love and support from both of our families and a special, divine intervention from someone above.