Once upon a time, a little girl named Cara and a small, wee lad named Dave were born 175 miles apart (Cara in Greensburg, PA & Dave in Hagerstown, MD). Little did they know, 34+ years later, love would whisk them 2700 miles away to plant their roots and start a family – together.

Cara and Dave first met in the spring of 2022 at DMV Iron Gym in Alexandria, VA. Cara was in the squat rack, struggling to push out her last rep of a 400-pound squat… Just kidding! She was on the hip thrust machine, working on that booty pump! It was arm day for Dave because every day is arm day. Headphones blasting Katy Perry’s “Firework,” Dave was in his own little world when he turned around, not paying a lick of attention to his surroundings, and walked right into Cara. She fell down, because Dave was built like a brick shit-house at the time, and she gave him a stare that went through his soul. “Are you serious? Watch where you’re going!” she exclaimed as Dave stood there in shock, realizing he just knocked this poor girl to the floor. Apologetically, he helped her up, and they got to talking, discovering they had a lot more in common than just their love for well-equipped gyms. They exchanged numbers and continued to keep in touch.

At the time, Dave was living in Morgantown, WV, and Cara was in Washington, DC. The distance, however, didn’t keep them apart. They talked non-stop every day before deciding to have their first date. They spent the next few weeks splitting time between WV and DC before making things official in April. Shortly thereafter, Cara was offered a new job that would take her 2700 miles away to Los Angeles. Though shocking to Dave at first, their connection was so strong that he knew the only way it would work was to move across the country with her. So, only a few months after they started dating, they packed up and moved across the country to Los Angeles together with all the hopes and dreams. Was this absolutely insane for both of them to commit to? Two people who only knew each other for a few months, completely merging lives in a place so far removed from their friends and (most of) their family? Well, when you know, you know, and Dave knew this girl and a future with her was absolutely worth it. And, it was.

Fast forward to October 27, 2024 – Cara makes Dave the happiest lad in the world and says YES! to his Halloween proposal after a night of (terrifying) fun at Knotts Scary Farms. Though, the most terrifying part for Dave, besides the homicidal, chainsaw-laden psychos running around was the fact that he had a very expensive, sparkly item tucked away (not so conspicuously) in his Lululemon fanny pack that he convinced Cara he just had to borrow from her for the night. Dave was even forced to leave it (ring and all) in an unsecured cubby hole while he jumped on the first roller coaster with Cara! Alas, Dave (and Cara) survived, and they cannot wait to celebrate their special day, November 14th, 2025, with family and friends as they start the next chapter of their love story! And so the story continues…to be continued. 😜