About Us
Arlene is from Piscataway, NJ. In 1996, she graduated from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ with a degree in Computer Science. Shortly after graduation, Arlene moved down to Virginia to work as a software developer for SRA International, a government contracting firm for whom she still works. Her interests include music, photography, cooking, wine, and hockey.
Christopher is from Lyons, NY. He attended Saint John Fisher College in Rochester, NY, majoring in History and Communications. Working for the grocery store chain Wegmans, Christopher moved down to Virginia in 2004 to help open their first store in the state. His interests include reading, history, music, beer, playing volleyball, and following most sports.
Cheers to New Beginnings
How Our Story Began
Arlene and Christopher have a mutual friend Mark who had two groups of friends, one to which Arlene belonged and the other to which Christopher belonged. In 2006, Mark started bringing those two groups together. Arlene and Christopher initially met at a birthday party that summer. They would see each other at parties throughout the next year. However, they didn't get a chance to really talk until October 2007 at a happy hour that Christopher, his cousin Bill, and Bill's then girlfriend, now wife Leone organized at a new local bar Dogfish Head Alehouse. They had such a fun time that night that they started to talk a lot over Facebook and instant messenger the next couple weeks. Christopher then invited Arlene to a smaller happy hour he was organizing for Dogfish Head's official grand opening on November 6, 2007. When Arlene got there, it was only Christopher, Bill, and Leone as others had cancelled last minute. The really small happy hour evolved into a double date over the course of the evening as Arlene and Christopher's mutual interest became apparent. When Christopher walked Arlene to her car, they kissed, and the rest as they say is history.
A Holiday Engagement
How Our Story Became Forever
The week before Thanksgiving 2012, Christopher kept asking Arlene when she wanted to get a Christmas tree. This should have been Arlene's first clue since it is usually mid-December before she has to remind him about getting a tree. Anyway, oblivious, Arlene kept putting Christopher off saying that they would figure it out when she got back from visiting her family for the holiday. The night before Thanksgiving, getting a tree came up again. Christopher said that he was asking because he got a new ornament that he wasn't sure would fit on the tree. He brought out a box and in it was the ring. He got down on one knee and popped the question. Arlene said "YES!". Later, Christopher told her he wanted to do it before she left for Thanksgiving so that she would be able to tell her family in person, which was truly a gift. Funny enough, they still didn't get their Christmas tree until the mid-December. ;-)