Dave and Celeste met in an ordinary way these days; online. Open and honest conversations in the first few dates (two to be exact!) led Dave to ask Celeste to sign off of the apps, which was something out of the ordinary. The first few months involved many shared experiences, projects, and continued sincere conversations. Dave taught Celeste how to wake surf, they began working on woodworking projects together, and near the end of summer Celeste took her first trip to the East Coast to visit the Norelius homestead. As fall came around, Dave learned more about baking, knitting and cat cuddling. Celeste ventured into the world of PC gaming, for which Dave showed a lot of patience :-).
As the holiday’s neared, the couple had decided they enjoy one another’s company so much they would trial living together. While the transition was good for all, Dot the cat truly enjoyed the multiple perches for bird watching around the house, and Dave was even known to send Celeste selfies of the two ‘working’ from home. No one could have predicted within the next few months COVID would shut down most of our daily routines, yet even with the stark changes in their daily lives. The pandemic required more self-introspection, thoughtfulness, and some weeks ice cream, but also allowed for ample time together. While many can point to the last year as the hardest in recent times, Dave and Celeste’s relationship continued to grow through these trying times, and they found much to be thankful for in one another.
In the early eve of November 2nd 2020, Celeste had just arrived home from work. Still in work attire, and having just brought in the trash bins, she was met by Dave outside of their home in Ballard. Dave asked if Celeste would marry him, stating later that he realized in that moment he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and he didn’t want to wait any longer for that to begin. A whirlwind of planning over the next few days and by November 6th, just 4 days after the proposal, the two had a wedding date: 12.27.2020.