Laura and Dan met the old fashioned way - on a dating app. Dan had to use a 24-hour extension to get Laura to reach out to him. After a couple of weeks of messaging back and forth, Laura enforced her pre-date phone call to rule out the weirdos (challenges of dating during a pandemic). A week later, they had their first date at Brickside in Bethesda, and the rest is history!

Laura and Dan were engaged on a cold but sunny morning on December 28, 2021. After a brief COVID scare in the morning cured by a negative test, they took a scenic stroll at the Pennyfield Lock of the C&O Canal. Dan had the engagement ring disguised in black athletic socks, and the two wandered down the path to a clearing far away from other hikers. After taking a moment to collect himself and let Laura get a few steps ahead, Dan dropped to one knee and asked Laura to make him the happiest man in the world. Once Laura, who had not expected this for another 3 to 48 months, realized this was not another one of Dan’s “hilarious” jokes, immediately said yes! The two continued to walk for another mile or so, discussing all the plans Dan had made that went awry, Laura’s lack of suspicion that now felt so clear, and most importantly where to go for celebratory champagne!