According to Joe: The first time I saw Shannon, I thought right away that there was something special about her.  I said hello, but she kept walking by and barely acknowledged that I was there.  About a month later, she came up to do some work at my deployment site and needed directions - so despite her Yankees hat, I helped her out.  There was something kind about her heart that I really admired, so I smuggled a piece of chocolate cake down to where she was deployed when I went to go visit her site.  We spent the night talking.  And when I had to go the next morning, I left her the piece of chocolate cake and some hidden notes at her desk to let her know I thought she was very special.  Shannon and I were able to talk for hours, and that really meant a lot to me. 

I was overjoyed when we were both back home in the U.S. together, and she moved to the east coast.  The first time I saw her back home, we had a “real” date, and we were so caught up with each other that we barely remembered the details of what happened!  From then on, we built a life together.  We went on trips, and ate good food, and shared our goals and hopes and dreams together.  In the summer of 2019, I knew the time was right, and I proposed to Shannon by the side of a river in Italy.  She said, “Of course!” and I knew that was going to be just the beginning of our life together.

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According to Shannon: The first time I saw Joe, I thought, "Who is this guy trying to smile at me, and why is he so happy?  Also, why does he look like he just stepped off a yacht?"  The second time I saw Joe, he still looked like he had just stepped off a yacht, but I actually felt bad for being so rude to such a nice person.  This time I needed his help, and he seemed amused by that.  Every time I saw Joe, he was incredibly nice to me, and eventually I realized I actually liked it.  I noticed that he kept going out of his way for me. He was so kind and funny and much to my chagrin, we had all the same passions in life. One time he brought me cake and left me a note that said, "For the girl with high standards." I knew that against all my resistance, I was going to fall in love with this guy.  You have to understand that getting cake in Baghdad is a big deal.

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As soon I got back to the U.S., I moved to the East Coast, and everything just felt like it was happening the way it was supposed to happen.  Joe stayed with me as soon as I moved in to my new condo and he just never left.  A couple of months later he asked me if we could move in together and I said, "Joe, you already live here." I knew that I was starting the life I was meant to have...a life with Joe.