We had openly discussed the idea of marriage and spending our lives together, and were both very excited to do so. Phillip's original plan was to propose to Allison on a hike in Hawaii, but the covid pandemic canceled those plans. In August 2020, Phillip went to Germany to visit his family for a week or so. He told Allison his return date was August 25th, but in reality he had other plans. He flew back to DC on August 24th to surprise Allison and ask her to marry him. That night, Allison opened the door to their apartment expecting no one, but was SHOCKED to see Phillip in a tuxedo standing in the dark with candles and rose petals everywhere. Phillip got down on one knee and asked Allison to marry him, and she said yes.