Tim and Stacy’s story began with a first date at Ponysaurus in Durham. There were a lot of laughs, great conversation, and a shared feeling that this might be something special. Immediately after, Tim got the flu. Stacy assumed this was an excuse and that she might never hear from him again. As it turns out, he really was just sick, and two weeks later, once Tim had recovered, date number two finally happened. The rest of their story took off from there.

They spent lots of time doing what they enjoyed most together: Durham Bulls games, Duke football events, and working their way through a hefty list of restaurants and breweries. Travel quickly became a favorite, especially their annual trips to Wilmington for Tim’s conference and dressing up for the Jingle Ball in Raleigh, which always felt a little extra and a lot of fun.

In December of 2025, Tim spoke with Stacy’s dad and made a plan to propose at a winery near her parents’ home. Unaware of what was coming, Stacy invited her brother Jon to join the winery visit, unintentionally changing the plan. With a New Year’s trip to visit Tim’s family in Milwaukee already scheduled, Tim decided that would be the moment instead.

Plans changed once again at RDU when their flight to Milwaukee was delayed twice. Not wanting to wait any longer, Tim proposed in a quiet back booth of one of the airport restaurants. “I wasn’t going to do this here,” he said, before getting down on one knee. Stacy replied, “Do what?”—and then said yes.

They were later upgraded to first class on their flight to Milwaukee, which felt like a fitting start to their next chapter. They’re excited to celebrate with the people who’ve been part of the journey all along.