How We Met
Kevin and I met in high school in New Hope, Pennsylvania. We were in the same friend circles throughout but never really connected. We dated other people all throughout high school and it wasn’t until Kevin went to college (I was in my senior year of high school) that we started dating. We were chatting through Facebook randomly one day and the rest is history.
We began dating on Valentine’s Day 2009, 9 years ago! We had been long distance for years, having attended separate colleges. It wasn’t until Kevin surprised me and secretly got a wonderful job opportunity at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, that we were finally able to close the distance!
how they asked
We traveled to Ireland on a business trip for Kevin. He works in oncology for a major hospital and every year they have conferences in different countries to meet with other international hospitals, to share the best cancer treatment innovations. Kevin provided me with the conference itinerary on hospital letterhead, we arranged our sightseeing around his schedule. I would be on my own for some parts of the days while Kevin worked. But we planned to meet up and sightsee with his colleagues and their wives, etc.
On our first day in Ireland (Killarney), Kevin was scheduled to speak at the conference. He headed out early to prep and meet with colleagues; I was going to catch up with him later on at the conference center. Hours later, our tour guide/driver took me to the conference location. We drove over hill and dale passing small mountainside cottages, farm animals, and beautiful overlooks. The car came to a stop on this gorgeous one lane road in what felt like the middle of nowhere. Not a soul was around; I was looking around in confusion for the conference building. Suddenly, the driver asked me if I know this man outside. It was Kevin.
Kevin opened the door and all I could say was “Where is the conference? Why aren’t you at the conference? What are you doing here???” Kevin replied that he wanted to show me something. Led me down to this gorgeous deserted lake/overlook with only wild goats and sheep wandering around, got down on one knee and I was stunned! Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a guy with a large lens camera peeking out of the brush. Kevin hired a professional photographer to capture our moment and minutes later our engagement session!
The kicker? There was no conference. The itinerary. Colleagues. All made up. It was our engagement vacation he coordinated under the guise of a work trip. He planned every step with the tour guide and photographer for months. The only person who knew was my father when Kevin asked for his permission to marry me. I helped Kev pack his work suits; prep PowerPoints, talking points — all a big sham! I am still shocked by it all to this day! We will be married this September at my family’s estate in New Hope, Pa.
