The Full Story
Amanda, Before Hawaii
Amanda was born and raised in Miller, South Dakota (population 1,349), where the nearest red light is a 50 mile drive. She attended University of South Dakota and University of Nebraska Lincoln College of Law before going to work for Legal Aid of Nebraska, spending 10 years in Norfolk and 3 in Lincoln. Almost every year for over a decade, she visited her sister Christine in Hawaii, often joined in her travels by their Mom (Verna) as well as other family and friends, including her Dad (Tim), grandfather (Duane), and best friend since childhood (Jill).
Dave, Before Hawaii
Dave grew up in Pemberton, New Jersey, on a lake bordering the Pinelands National Reserve. He worked various office jobs before publishing his first article in 2007. After a decade of being paid well to write documentation for various software startups, he had enough money saved to retire and follow his true passion: writing documentation for free open source software. After retiring, he became a digital nomad, staying for months at a time in distant places, including a 6-month visit to the Hawaiian Islands that ended in November 2019.
COVID,
The Move,
& The Invisible Year
COVID
At her 40th birthday party, Amanda caught Covid. She hoped it would be over quickly, but months later, she was still suffering; she had long-covid.
Dave didn't have a permanent abode when the lockdowns started, so he flew home to stay with his dad (Ed). He also hoped it would be over quickly, but months later, he was still sleeping on a temporary bed.
The Move
As Amanda struggled, her sister Christine gave birth to Lukka. The need to take time to recover, the persistent allure of Hawaii, and the desire to be with her growing family were too much: in October 2020, Amanda sold her house and moved to Hilo.
With no end to travel restrictions in sight, Dave asked himself: "which of the places I've visited would I want to settle down in and buy a house?" After making a detailed spreadsheet---and then disregarding its analytical results in favor of what his heart told him---he flew to Hilo in January 2021 and immediately bought a house.
The Invisible Year
In 2021, Amanda was often walking around downtown Hilo for work. Dave lived in downtown Hilo without a car, walking and bicycling for exercise and all of his errands. How they never encountered each other for an entire year remains a mystery to both of them.
The Meet
On the Bumble dating app, the woman must send the first message. Amanda immediately wrote: "We should go on a date and talk about books." Dave readily agreed and, at 1:00 PM on 18 December 2021, they met in front of Turn The Page used book store, followed by a stop for at Nector Cafe. They drank their dirty chai teas at the Mo'oheau Bandstand in downtown Hilo.
It is alleged that Dave was seen leaving the first date in a rush, leaving Amanda with some doubt about whether the relationship would blossom. Her concern deepened when a second date was scheduled a few days later for breakfast but Amanda overslept and stood Dave up. Dave smiled through her apology phone call and a true second date was soon had, followed by many more dates.
Adventures Together
"I asked for the kiss and I won't ever regret it"
On January 15th, almost a month after their first date, Dave finally worked up the courage to ask Amanda if he could kiss her. She immediately said "YES!". Electricity flowed. But the very next day she began feeling sick; the day after that, she took a Covid test and texted Dave the bad news: "The test was positive. I'm so sorry, Dave. I hope it didn't share it with you."
Dave immediately replied: "[...] please don't be sorry. I asked for the kiss and I won't ever regret it." In the following days, he didn't get sick and Amanda gradually recovered from the acute infection. Almost every day, they would meet in a park for a socially distanced walk together (the same park where they plan to get married). It was on those strolls that Dave also first met Amanda's sister and nephew, Christine and Lukka.
40 guns and
no witnesses
By the second month of their relationship, and their first Valentine's Day together, they were essentially living together. They also began traveling together, first to the neighboring islands of O'ahu and Maui, then to Amanda's old stomping grounds in Nebraska and South Dakota, followed by a cruise to Alaska.
On the South Dakota trip, Dave first met Amanda's Dad, Tim, who immediately showed Dave his a collection of 40 long guns and took him for a long drive to a field far away from any witnesses. Dave believes the fact that he survived this means he passed The Boyfriend Test.
Amanda would also become a regular participant in Dave's bi-weekly video calls with his Father, Grandmother, and Sister (Ed, Gloria, and Jenn). Just as Amanda's family loved Dave, so did Dave's family love Amanda.
RIP, Tim McMahon
By the end of the year, they had officially moved into a house together and celebrated their first anniversary. They planned to cap the year off by visiting their respective families for the holidays. A short visit with Dave's family for Christmas went well, but shortly after they arrived in South Dakota, they learned that Amanda's Dad had terminal liver disease. Amanda stayed in Miller and was joined by her Sister, with Dave flying home to Hilo briefly before returning to be with Amanda. On January 16th, Tim passed away surrounded by his wife and daughters. A few days later, Christine, Amanda, and Dave returned to Hilo.
Adventures Abroad
Grief dominated Amanda's life for a while, but Dave was always there to provide support. By summer they were ready for their next big adventure: a month-long tour of Europe. The first two weeks were in Barcelona, where Dave had a business event and Amanda was a solo tourist all day until the sun went down. They then spent a long weekend in Zurich, had an unexpected overnight in Paris, and spent the remaining time in London---including multiple Harry Potter pilgrimages. On the way home from Europe, they stopped to visit Dave's family and brought his Dad back to Hawaii for a three week tour of O'ahu and the Big Island. They both also accomplished work milestones during the year, with Amanda getting her dream job at a local library and Dave having his first technical book published.
The Proposal
That brings our story to 2024. Fairly early in the relationship, Amanda and Dave had talked about their feelings about marriage. After working as a divorce attorney for several years, Amanda was a bit skittish. Dave had a weird theory that the easier it was from a practical perspective for a couple to break up, the more it meant that they chose to spend each night in each other's arms. But everywhere Amanda and Dave went, the people in their lives would ask, "so when are you getting married?" Finally, one night in February, as they lay in bed staring dreamily into each other's eyes, Dave and Amanda agreed that it was both of their intentions to spend the rest of their lives with the other. Whether they got married or not didn't really matter---but marriage did sound rather nice. A few days later, Dave was on a knee proposing to her in the local library as Amanda's Sister, Mother, and newborn niece watched on.
We do plan to spend the rest of our lives together and in love, and we're excited to formally make that commitment surround by the family and friends we cherish so much.
