Along the Broken Road: Starting along the Broken Road

I might as well begin with how Charlie and I's journey began. I grew up in a small town outside of Philadelphia. Across the street from my house lived Anna, Danny and Danielle. Anna was very close with her family, especially her sister Margaret. Margaret has four children, one of which is Charlie. My first memory was our annual Hawaiian Themed Block Party in 1991, which made Charlie 10 years old and myself 7 years old. When you are a kid, a three year age difference is major.

Charlie doing the hula in 1991

Dancing the night away in 1991

From 1991 until 2007, we saw each other from across the street during holidays when Charlie's family was visiting his aunt's house or at major events for Danielle as over the years she became more of a second sister for Alyson & I.

In October 2007, my ex-boyfriend and I went to my first Eagles' game for my 22nd birthday. At the same game was Charlie and one of his close friends, Tim. We saw each other but didn't speak or anything since I was in a relationship as was he. In March 2008, Charlie sent me a message via MySpace asking if I was attending Opening Day for the Phillies as he knew I was a fan of the team. I said I wasn't and the conversation ended. Later in the month, I asked Danielle for Charlie's phone number and sent him a text. This started our relationship, but it wasn't until April 6th that we went on our first date. Our first date was supposed to be a movie and drinks after, however a power outage at the movie theater resulted in drinks at J.B. Dawson's while watching the Tennessee Girls' basketball team play. The date was wonderful and I felt oddly comfortable for a first date with a man I knew for 17 years but never spoke more than a "Hello" to.

Our Journey along the Broken Road:

July 2009 when we traveled to Cabo San Lucas with friends. Charlie proposed on the beach.