Hi, Megan here

If you want the short, summed-up version of this story, then the spark notes version is that I started working at a cigar shop in Drums, Pennsylvania and this handsome fella walked into the storefront and we caught eyes, I asked for his number and now we are getting married. However, there is so much more to how we got here...

So if you want the details -

Lets start from the beginning...

As all of you know, I was born and raised in the (previously) small town of Mooresville, North Carolina. In 2016 I had graduated high school and was packing up my things to start my first semester at college (Appalachian State University). About a month into my first semester, I was home on my fall break when my parents sat me down at our kitchen table and informed me that my Dad was going to be taking a new job position "Somewhere in the Poconos" of Pennsylvania. Mind you, this is after spending my entire life in the same town I was born in.

Fast forward a few months and my parents had packed up my childhood, our entire household, and had a going away party with all of our friends we built in my hometown and moved up to Mountain Top, Pennsylvania.

The first time I visited their new home, I rejected the thought of them starting over somewhere else. I didn't want to leave Mooresville behind. In only a couple of months, I had moved into college and started adulthood, to having my homelife upended and moved from being an easy hour and a half drive from my university, to now being a 8+ hour drive away from my parents.

My years in undergrad involved a handful of life-altering experiences that had left me longing more and more for being close to home. Fast forward again, the year is 2020 and I was headed back to school for my fall semester as the pandemic had me living in PA for 3 months for quarantine with my parents. After spending my fall semester inside of my studio apartment, with campus closed down for COVID, all classes being online for 4 months, the isolation I faced had hit a breaking point.

January of 2021, I made the decision to leave North Carolina, and move back in with my parents in our new home of Mountain Top. Originally, my plan was to stay here for a year and to get my life organized, do some networking in the area, and see where my skillset landed me. To make money in the meantime, I got a job at H&M in the Wyoming Valley Mall. One day, I had a great conversation with a customer who had mentioned that she worked at Best Cigar Prices and how she really loved her job. noted

January of 2022 I was let go from H&M due to cuts in staffing. I decided to take her up on the employment opportunity at Best Cigar, however the only opening available was as a retail associate in their storefront of the restaurant portion of the building (Best Cigar PUB). Mind you, I had never even smoked a cigar, let alone knew any history or background on the cigar world.

It is now February 2022, I am into my first week working at this new job. As I was working through my training, my manager, Charlie Reed, had mentioned the names of a few staff who had previously held my same position and had worked their way up the ladder into the business area of BCP. He mentioned a buddy of his, Alex, who used to work in the store and was now the Compliance Lead. Undenounced to me, Charlie had mentioned "the new cute blonde girl" working in the store to Alex and told him he should introduce himself.

Introduced himself he did. We caught eyes and shook hands, he asked me about myself and later in the day asked if I would like to stay after work to have a drink at the pub. To me, this was a fabulous networking opportunity since he was incredibly personable. What was only supposed to be a drink and cigar, turned into a 3 hour conversation that felt like I had been hanging out with a long time best friend. noted

For the two weeks that followed that night, I wasn't able to stop thinking about him. So much so, that one day in the breakroom I made a quick decision to try something since he hadn't asked me for my phone # yet. When he passed me and said hello, I pulled my phone out and asked him on the spot if he could put his number in my phone. With a shocked look on his face, he put his number in, but left out his last name (to this day, even as my soon to be husband, his contact in my phone is "Alex Best Cigar Pub") lol.

fast forward again, its April of 2022 and

I find out that he has a 2 year old named Liam. We finally met up one day and went out to Kirby Park to spend some time together and for me to interact with his son. I got to witness him out of the usual work attire and professionalism. I immediately noticed how comfortable I was around him and what an incredible dad he was in the way he interacted with his son.

Only 1 month into dating, I called up my older brother Chris and his wife Nicole and told them that I found my future husband. I remembered back to a piece of advice they gave me years ago while I was still in undergrad and going through a rough breakup. Nicole told me "write down all of the qualities you want in your husband. Be specific, and do not settle until you found the one that checks off every box". That was Alex.

This brings us to the present day where we have faced a bunch of obstacles together and came out stronger on the other side. Life threw us a lot in a short amount of time - Being there when he received the news about his Fathers sudden passing from a heart attack in August of 2023, as well as the (most recent) news of Liam's Birth mom passing away in December of 2024.

Today is April 2nd

We are moved into a home together, engaged to be married, and both full time parents to Liam as I have now become the maternal figure in his life. Some say that we have a lot on our plate, but I think we have just the right amount. I wouldn't have it any other way. I am beyond excited for the life God has prepared for us as a family and am so ready to celebrate our wedding with you all.