We met at St. Louis College of Pharmacy and after sending several long text messages back and forth we decided that it was finally time to actually go on a date together and talk in person. Joe picked me up and took me to the "Mecca of all Wendy's" where we grabbed sandwiches and took them to Tower Grove Park ruins to eat. We talked trying to learn more about each other as the sun set near the fountain. We definitely both were nervous and shy but it was easy to talk to each other. After that we spent the evening driving around the different parts of the city "urban exploring", which we would come to find out would develop into quite the popular past time for us.

The first date

The proposal

Anyone who knows Danika, knows she has quite the obsession with anything Harry Potter related. Harry Potter world had been a place she had been dying to go to since the announcement of it's construction way back in the beginning of Highschool. Timing with school and work, money, and logistics never seemed to work out though, and she never actually got to go to Harry Potter world. Knowing of this deep love of Harry Potter almost from the beginning, it seemed to Joe like the perfect spot to propose and so when the opportunity finally came up and everything aligned to allow us the ability to go, Joe knew he had some extra planning to do. While Danika was worried about packing normal vacationing things, Joe was trying to figure out how to get the ring there without Danika finding out. Joe ended up stowing the ring in the trunk of his car under the spare tire, because even Danika (who had a tendency to figure out surprises and ruin them for herself) wouldn't find it there...probably. After successfully getting the ring to Florida and tactfully getting it through park security without raising suspicion, now all Joe had to do was propose. Never having been to Harry Potter world, Joe had to research maps, websites, and forums to determine where was the perfect proposal spot. There is a bridge nearby the base of the Hogwarts Castle that allows stunning views and that is where it happened. Being the last day that we would spend there, Danika was trying to get some last minute pictures taken and Joe said we needed to go to one last spot before we left, and Joe took us to the bridge in front of the castle. As Danika was facing the castle waiting for the photo, Joe received the ring from Danika's mom. After some nervous fumbling with the box, Joe was able to pull out the ring out without dropping it off the bridge and into the water. Danika turned around wondering what was taking Joe so long and found a very nervous Joe. Joe looked at Danika and got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. She said yes and the trip to Harry Potter world was more magical than she had ever imagined.