Emily first spotted Joshua at the NOVA Manassas Campus bookstore, where he worked while she was part of the campus IT team. Her family quickly dubbed him the "cute bookstore guy," completely unaware that he’d eventually become much more than that.
Her first words to him? "How difficult can I be?" That was Joshua’s first clue that Emily was going to keep him on his toes. And, well, he wasn’t wrong.
During the COVID pandemic, with masks and work windows between them, their friendship grew in the silliest ways—funny faces, quick chats, and even a few notes passed behind the glass.
Before long, their routine included grocery store lunch "dates," late-night snack runs, and messages scribbled on coffee cups. Then, on January 19th, 2022, Joshua finally made it official and asked Emily out. From there, things just kept getting better.
After a year of dating, they took the next big step and moved in together in late October 2022. Their home quickly filled with love—plus a few extra paws and claws. Now, they share their space with three cats (Moose, Benny, and Moony), two tortoises (Raph, Joshua’s first baby, and Peanut), and a leopard gecko named Casper.
