At 33 and 29, Daniel and Clare met through a clever setup orchestrated by Clare's co-resident Cristina. Cristina knew Dan through another Naval Aviator Devin Dugard. During a whiskey-drinking night out she hatched a plan and proposed a matchmaking dinner. Cristina described Clare as having "mermaid hair" and a captivating sense of humor. Clare cannot recall what Christina told her, but a picture of a handsome face and lopsided orange bowtie was good enough for her. That first night, Dan was at first serious, but as he laughed at Clare's jokes, he slowly melted into his boyish charm that Clare suspected he had. In a thinly veiled attempt to spend even just a few more minutes with her, Dan drove her back to her apartment and made plans to see her the following Friday. This date happened to be Valentine’s Day, and Clare found that gesture to be very romantic. Armed with a California burrito, Dan stole her away from her hospital duties for longer than he should have. Clare did have to explain that one doesn’t just take an hour lunch break during a labor and delivery shift, and she scurried off after only 30 minutes, but those precious extra minutes did solidify Dan’s intentions. Dan was fast on the hunt to courtship, but little did we know how pivotal these early dates would be. In the rest of February, Dan took Clare to a Comedy show, where she learned that he liked to laugh to loud and sit front and center, eager to be to fuel for the fodder in some Comedian’s crowd work. The next weekend, Clare took him surfing, and thankful neither ever became very good in the end. Coincidentally, two weekends later they also both bought a four runner the exact same day… at the exact same dealership… and he met Clare’s dad, who invited him to breakfast the next morning, which he accepted.

That next week after Dan already somehow met Clare’s father was, you guessed it, COVID lockdown. Although Dan asked Clare to date exclusively only one week into dating (he did hit the ground running there, didn’t he?) Clare asked dan if he would like to be a part of her family unit, which one could argue is even more intimate than the former.

Clare and Dan were some of the few professions that still braved brick and mortar establishments during these uncertain times, and since they often were already out and about, they may have snuck in a few dinner dates when they weren’t supposed to. They also took this time visit national parks and the various terrains surrounding San Diego, where Dan showed Clare his love for off-roading, and Clare showed Dan her love for very long hikes. They shell-walked and mountain biked, cooked new recipes and caught covid, but mostly Dan supported Clare as she worked long hours and many 6 day weeks in her first and second year

For many, COVID was the crucible that defined their relationship, but for Dan and Clare, it was his eight-month deployment to the Western Pacific aboard USS Abraham Lincoln that truly tested them. It turned out that separation did indeed make the heart grow fonder, and through tribulations, they forged a path back to each other.

During his time on the ship, Dan shifted his career to flying fleet logistic aircraft for the Navy. Clare, not a year into her role as an attending Family Medicine provider, was swept off to Virginia Beach for their

next adventure. They bought a house. started new jobs, and now, as they explore the east coast, they invite family and friends to join them in celebrating

their wedding in the Virginia mountains. Go Them!