Harrison was a consistent attendee of one of College Park's popular bars, Cornerstone Grill & Loft, on Wednesday evenings for none other than Rails. For those who don't know, Cornerstone offers discounted rail drinks on Wednesday evenings for a few hours, hence the name "Rails." Harrison was such a regular that he used to tell people he knew he would meet his wife at Rails one day. So, Harrison gets credit for manifesting this whole thing. Fast-forward to a random Wednesday in August of 2018, and Abby's friends forced her to go out on a night when she wanted to stay in. But she was dragged to Rails, which was unfamiliar territory for her, so everyone assured her that "Summer Rails is chill." And it was - Fellow UMD Alums will get it! Thanks to divine intervention, our shared social anxiety did not prevent us from meeting that night. Harrison's friend, Stefanos, and Abby's friend, Laura, who went out with each of us that night, worked together at the UMD gym and said hello when they ran into each other. Harrison had noticed Abby literally checking him out (read: staring at him) in a non-obvious manner (read: directly staring). So, when he saw Laura and Stefanos saying hello to each other, he saw an opportunity to introduce himself, but then Abby beat him to the punch and walked up to him and said, "Hi, you're cute." Harrison, still somehow surprised at Abby's forwardness despite the staring, said, "Oh, really?" and Stefanos said, "No he isn't!!!!" Thanks, Stefanos. We talked for a while, had our first kiss, exchanged phone numbers, and went our separate ways (read: Abby got nervous and literally just left the bar. Thank goodness Harrison asked her for her phone number). We scheduled our first date for maybe 10 days later. We pretty much have been best friends ever since.

We picked out the ring in Spring of 2023, and then the anticipation began! Harrison planned a surprise weekend getaway in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia (a spot we had visited a few times together during the five years we lived in the DC area). Abby didn't know where we were going, and was just instructed to pack active wear and a dinner dress. Harrison planned a hike up to Split Rock along the Loudoun Heights Trail. We'll allow the wonderful National Park Service to describe: "This challenging trail gives hikers the opportunity to see the Appalachian Trail, multiple views of Harpers Ferry, views of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers and valleys, and formations of phyllite and quartzite rock. Hikers are rewarded with the only view to the east into Pleasant Valley and beyond, a southern view of the town of Harpers Ferry and the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers." After a few hours of hiking and an elevation gain of 1400 feet, we arrived at Split Rock and found ourselves in awe of the breathtaking view. The weather was perfect, the sky was clear, and there were people laughing and tubing down the Potomac River below our lunch spot. Abby was wondering if the proposal was going to happen, while Harrison was hoping some other hikers would be wrapping up their time at Split Rock soon. As time passed, and the other hikers hadn't departed, Abby started to doubt that the proposal was happening that day, and Harrison started to realize that we needed to get going back down the mountain to make our dinner reservation. Just as Harrison said we'd need to be leaving soon, and Abby decided the proposal must not be happening, the other hikers departed and we found ourselves alone. We were taking in the view of the mountains and rivers, watching the birds soaring in the sky, all overlooking the town of Harper's Ferry across the way. We hugged, and then Harrison got down on one knee. In classic Abby fashion, she didn't say a word in response to the proposal, but instead practically jumped into Harrison's arms in excitement, putting him into a panic that we, and the ring, would fall off the cliff. Luckily, we avoided tragedy, Abby did say yes, and then we watched the ring sparkle in the sunlight on Abby's hand and jumped around in excitement with our arms around each other. And then we hiked down the mountain we had hiked up as boyfriend and girlfriend as new fiancés! Best day ever.

11.7.25 We can't wait for you to join us at The Seclusion, nested in the Shenandoah Valley nearby Lexington, Virginia, overlooking the House Mountain peaks. We knew the Shenandoah Valley was destined to be the location of our special day after our engagement in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers intersect and flow towards Washington, D.C. The D.C. area was our first home together for half a decade, and our very first vacation back in 2019 for Harrison's 22nd birthday (and many subsequent trips with friends) took place in the Shenandoah Valley. Our wedding location honors our story. We can't wait to marry each other on a mountaintop in such a sentimental place, surrounded by everyone we love. We have so much gratitude for everyone making the long journey to join us in a place that feels so meaningful.

If you know Abby, she's probably told you at some point how she's dreamt of living in Maine since she was 10 years old. We traveled together to Maine in July 2023 to make sure Harrison was willing to make the move when it was time for that dream to come true. We thought it would be a while until then. When we got engaged in August 2023, we had no clue we'd be moving to Maine less than a year later. We went camping in November 2023, and it brought us so much joy, and we spent the camping trip talking about how we were longing to live closer to nature, up in Maine. On January 1, 2024 we made the decision to make the move - a New Years Resolution of sorts! We've been in Portland since June 2024. We love it so much.