It's a tale as old as time...just kidding, they met on the internet. Emily's friends convinced her to create a dating profile, screening matches for her daily. When Ryan messaged Emily, however, her interest was piqued. After chatting for some time both Ryan and Emily wanted to finally meet each other in person. Emily was too nervous to make the first move, so the same two friends secretly logged into the dating app once more and asked Ryan out for Emily, beating him to the punch. Deciding on a local bar, Ryan arrived early and texted Emily about what she wanted to drink. Her order, an Old Fashioned with Bullet Bourbon, nearly forced Ryan to immediately return his Stella for the bar's best scotch, refusing to be shown up by his date. Throughout their first date, there was no lack of conversation as they got to know each other. At one point, Emily reached for Ryan’s Stella and almost drank it. Ryan thought Emily was being funny and liked it. Emily was in fact being awkward and thought she was grabbing her own drink. After hearing it was an honest mistake, Ryan was convinced that Emily was overwhelmed by his good looks. To this day, the two look back on this moment and laugh. Over the past three years, the two have continued to grow their relationship, and are looking forward to a future of love, laughter, and good bourbon.

For months, Ryan had planned on proposing to Emily while on their trip to Acadia National Park in Maine, and Ryan enlisted the help of a local photographer to capture the special moment. All was going according to the plan until the night before when the weather forecasted heavy rain at the exact time Ryan was going to propose. Frantically, he texted the photographer and decided to push up the proposal to earlier in the day. That was problem #1. Cue problem #2: wet rocks the next day on the most dangerous hike in the park, Precipice Trail. In her excitement to take pictures and document the trip, Emily slipped on the rocks, ripped her leggings, and was thankfully caught by Ryan. Worried about the imminent proposal, Ryan cut the hike short. The couple proceeded on to Jordan Pond, which was where the proposal would take place. The photographer wasn't scheduled to be there for another hour. Emily still suspected nothing as Ryan stalled by walking slowly and frequently pausing to look at nothing. But halfway around the loop, Ryan realized he was walking TOO SLOW and picked up the pace back to the trail head (Emily had to jog to keep up due to her shorter legs). When they arrived, Ryan saw the photographer and asked Emily if she wanted her to take a picture of them. This is where Emily got suspicious, since Ryan never asked to take pictures. Ryan led Emily to the spot on the edge of Jordan Pond and handed her a letter, the last one in a series she had been receiving for weeks from him. After reading the letter, Ryan got on one knee and asked her to marry him. She said yes! After taking a few more photos, Emily and Ryan went to a local seafood shack, and the rain opened up. Ryan couldn't be happier that he pushed the proposal time up making it absolutely perfect and was now sitting with his fiancé with a lobster roll in hand. For the couple, it was the best day ever (so far).

When John Hanifan, Emily’s Grandfather, came back from serving in WWII, he decided to marry his high school sweetheart Rita Rettberg. Out of their love, came eight children who were not just given a name, but a number. As more and more people entered the family, either by marriage or by birth, they too earned their number. To date, 87 numbers have already been claimed. These are not just a way of keeping track of each other but an outward expression of love and how it has grown through the generations from John and Rita. Emily is #34, and on September 17th, 2022, Ryan will earn his number, officially becoming part of the Hanifan clan.