This love story begins like many modern love stories... with a swipe on Bumble. One evening, Megan was causally scrolling through the online profiles of of potential dates. After rejecting far too many profile photos of men holding fish, she stumbled upon an 80's style JCPenney portrait of a man named Connor and a small cat named Charles; both of whom looked quite happy about their complementary sweaters. A large apparition of the cat's head gazed into the viewer's soul from the corner of the photo, while pink and blue lasers danced in the background. The profile claimed that the man was a "Michael looking for his Holly". Megan was not sure that this man would be the one, but it certainly seemed like he would make for a good conversation.

Megan suggested meeting at a small local coffee shop named Grey Owl Coffee for their first date. Lucky for Megan, Connor agreed, despite not being a coffee drinker, as he was far more interested in the date than the drinks. It was not love at first sight, but there was definitely potential between these two strangers from the internet. As the dates continued, Megan, Connor, and Charles learned a lot about each other Megan learned that Connor lived in a swanky bachelor pad off I-35 and Connor learned that Megan lived in a small house with two of her best friends. Connor (to his horror) discovered that Megan was not very into Mexican food and Megan (to her dismay) found out that Connor did not like coffee. Megan learned that Charles did not like belly rubs and Charles learned that Megan did not like her hair being eaten. Megan learned that she loved how excited Connor always was about learning new things and Connor found that he loved how passionate Megan was about her research. They both learned that whether it was cleaning the kitchen or taking a cooking class, they both loved doing things together.

Early into their relationship, Connor came home from work with a sticker that read "SMASH!" in bright comic book styled letters. Connor thought it would be funny to hide the sticker on Megan while she wasn't looking. Shocked at finding the sticker, Megan removed it and casually hid it on Connor's back. Game on! Eight months later, Connor and Megan had been taking turns hiding the smash sticker among the other person's belongings. The sticker was hidden in a shoe, in a wallet, on the bottom of a water bottle, in a glasses case, on a golf ball, in a display case, and in one of their cars. The sticker was even once hidden on the inside of a phone case for three weeks. It was now the day of their one year anniversary and Megan had a plan. After Connor had gone to work, Megan snuck over to Connor's apartment with a ream of "SMASH!" stickers she had found online and strategically hid over 50 stickers throughout the apartment. As Connor continued to find the stickers for weeks, Megan was sure she had finally won the great hidden sticker challenge.

Shortly after their big move to Alexandria, VA, Connor and Megan took a trip up to Shenandoah National Park for a hike. The night before the trip, Megan realized she had accidentally scheduled her book club meeting for the same day. While at the top of the mountain, Connor waited patiently for over an hour fiddling with the ring box in his pocket, while the group discussed that month's line up of mystery novel characters. When they finally started their hike, Connor followed closely behind Megan waiting for a good spot to propose. Megan chatted away about their week, upcoming plans, and about how much had changed in just a few short years. "It feels like we have been together forever" she concluded. With that perfect opening, Connor got down on one knee and pulled out a small ring box. "Speaking of forever..." he replied and then and asked Megan to marry him. When Connor opened the box, one final SMASH sticker was placed on top of the engagement ring. Turns out Connor had won the great sticker challenge after all.

Connor and Megan are very excited to share the start of their next adventure with you!