We're getting married!

Our story started with an elegant swipe right on a very sophisticated yet refined online dating app. Dave and Shannon immediately started talking, and excitement was in the air over the next few weeks. Things were going great, until Dave asked if he could call Shannon on the phone to talk. Anyone who knows Shannon, knows that she avoids phone calls, as she is not one to take a break and simply chat. Shannon let Dave know this, and unsure of how to respond, Dave went silent. Four days passed before Shannon reached out again to Dave, saying, “I hope I didn’t ruin it with the no phone call thing.” Dave, trying to play it cool, responded almost immediately, saying, “No, I’ve just been really busy at work.” Both Shannon and Dave were happy to have their spark and conversation pick up exactly where it left off. Bonus - Shannon even agreed to have a phone conversation with Dave. A few weeks later, Dave and Shannon agreed to meet up in person. Shannon displayed her in-depth knowledge of the TV show Criminal Minds by asking for Dave’s last name, his address, a current photo, and all other identifying information before this meet-up. She also made sure to let Dave know that her friends had all this information, as well as ongoing access to her current location. Later that day, Shannon pulled up to Dave’s parent’s house, to see Dave running out of the house as he was telling his mom and dad they better not peek out the window. (Dave would like to add that he did not live at home with his parents, it was just a mutually agreed upon meet up location for the visit to Newport.) Dave tried to play it cool in front of Shannon for a whole five seconds, before telling her he was going to play some country music because he was so nervous. Their first date was no other than Newport, Rhode Island. Shannon had convinced Dave that they should get nachos, tacos, and margaritas at Diego’s. Since there was going to be a wait, they decided to kill some time in the nearby arcade. This was where Shannon proceeded to dominate Dave in all games and activities. Dave handled these losses as a true gentleman, blaming it all on his injured wrists and botched surgery. To this day, Dave is still waiting for his rematch. After Shannon was done showing off her athletic abilities and competitive nature, they headed over to dinner. Diego’s was where they spent the next two and a half hours laughing hysterically and solidifying their fate. Dave had even, very nonchalantly, texted his Brooklyn Bad Boys group-chat a picture of Shannon and captioned it, “I think I’m in love!” Both knew from that first date that they were two peas in a pod, and that they had found the person they had been waiting for all these years.

November 25th, 2023 was a clear, crisp autumn day…so much nicer than the 70% chance of rain which was the original forecast. Shannon’s brother Jesse, sister-in-law Kate, and their children, James and Colby, were all in town for Thanksgiving. Shannon was under the impression that her mother, Kelly, wanted to take family Christmas card photos at the beautiful Harkness Memorial State Park. Although they were at Harkness for Christmas photos, that wasn’t the only reason they were there. Little did Shannon know, Dave had reached out to Kelly, weeks prior to create this pretext, knowing that he wanted to get a photographer to capture the proposal without tipping Shannon off. The situation made sense to Shannon, although she did think it was quite a step up from last year’s Christmas card, which was taken in the living room with a self-timer on Kate’s iPhone. Kelly and Jim, Shannon and Dave, and Jesse, Kate, James, and Colby all arrived at Harkness Memorial State Park in three separate cars at 11 AM. They were then introduced to the photographer, who also happened to be Jim’s pickleball friend. The family gathered at a picturesque, predetermined, location by the water. A number of pictures were taken for the Christmas cards, and then individual group shots were also done. During the last few shots of Dave and Shannon, Dave took a (large) step backwards, got down on one knee, and proposed to Shannon, while remaining extremely calm, cool, and collected. Not a single tear was shed by Dave (this is pure sarcasm, for those who do not know Dave). It was an incredible day all around!