After work one evening in May 2016, Shaun and Ashley first met next to Madison Square Garden at Lucy’s Catina Royale.  Ashley could not resist the allure of guac and margaritas at a table for 2 on the open air balcony.  They immediately connected on their passion for the shore and the distaste of NYC.  Although living in West New York at that time Ashley commuted to the city infrequently, similar to Shaun who was living in Sea Bright at the time. For one reason or another, Shaun and Ashley ended up losing touch after a few months. But little did they know, their story was not over.. Fast forward to May of 2018 Memorial Day Weekend, Ashley and Shaun spotted each other across a busy Donovans Reef. From that moment on, they were inseparable.

As many of you know, Shaun has an annual tradition of plunging into the ocean on New Years Day. During our annual trip to Little Monmouth, Shaun stripped down to his bathing suit and dove into the chilly ocean while Ashley watched from the shore. Shaun ran back up to Ashley waiting on shore, dropped down on one knee and asked Ashley to marry him. I guess you could say, Shaun took the plunge, figuratively and literally :)