Abby and Dan met on Holland America's Oosterdam in May 2007. As cruise director, Dan was hosting a 70's/80's disco night event. Abby came into the lounge and sat by herself. Her sister who was traveling with her was sick and early the next morning was flying home from Puerto Vallarta. When Dan saw Abby sitting by herself he asked her to dance and she accepted. After a few dances, not realizing that she doesn't drink, he offered to get her something and she declined. Undeterred, he got himself a beer and they began a conversation at the bar where they began to learn that they had a lot in common, including that they both live in San Diego.

The following day they bumped into each other in the hallway, at a trivia event, and another gathering in the evening. Later in the week they enjoyed one of the formal dinners together. They spent the opportunity getting to know each other better and then Dan had to go off and do his cruise director duties. During the week they also managed to squeeze in a few romantic walks around the ship.

The end of the week-long cruise rapidly came and they exchanged information (only to discover that their cell phone numbers are nearly identical). Dan had a few more weeks left on his contract which he finished in Seattle. There he called Abby and spent over an hour on the phone with her as he walked from Pike Place Market all the way down to the Stadiums and back. Little did he know that he would return to Seattle a few months later with Abby and her family.

When he got back to San Diego they went on their first official date at Balboa Park followed by lunch at the Hotel Del Coronado. (There is something amusing in the story here that you will have to ask them about sometime.)

With the exception of a week-long Vegas trip which Dan had already planned, two more short cruise contracts, and Abby's conferences, Abby and Dan have hardly been apart since.

That summer, Dan took Abby on her first Vegas trip. Later she introduced him to the Brown family tradition of going up to the family's lake cabins at Diamond Lake in Washington State.

Also, Dan was able to enjoy going to several plays with Abby's season tickets. Abby was able to attend several Chargers games in a very exciting season that ended with the AFC Championship game.

After the magic of summer, Abby returned to work as a high school math teacher and had a very interesting year that included six conferences and a class at the local middle school. Dan enjoyed a fall contract with Holland America and has continued work as an entertainer in San Diego throughout the year.

For the 2008 summer, Dan and Abby are planning two major trips. In June, Abby will be an invited keynote speaker at the International Mathematica Symposium in Maastricht, The Netherlands. Dan is going to accompany her and after the conference they are going to take a week-long tour of Italy hitting many of the major cities and sites. Later in the summer they will be heading back to Washington to enjoy two peaceful weeks at Diamond Lake with her parents, Steve and Susan.

Who knows what the next year will bring?