Nick Acciarito and Lindsey Monroe, of Norcross who were selected by Patch readers as Gwinnett's Cutest Couple, met in September of 2011.
Lindsey, who serves as the Special Events and Communications Manager at Camp Sunshine, a nonprofit in Decatur that offers year-round programs for children with cancer and their families, also happens to help out with the famous haunted house, Netherworld. Nick, a firefighter for DeKalb County, was applying for work at the house.
"I had been working there for about 10 years and was helping out with casting," Lindsey explained. "He had to talk to me to get his paperwork."
They chit-chatted, and she gave him a hard time about filling out his paperwork incorrectly. Before he left, Nick told her that if she wanted to "snag his number" from his paperwork, that would be OK with him.
For Nick, it was love at first sight. For Lindsey... well, he had to grow on her a little bit.
"I knew we were meant to be when I tried like crazy to scare him off and he just wouldn't give up on me," she said.
For their first date, they went out for Italian food and bowling. They bowled a few games and bet on who would win, with the loser planning a date for the winner. It was Nick's way of making sure she stuck around for a second date, according to Lindsey.
But he had to propose twice before getting the answer he was looking for.
"The first time he proposed was totally spontaneous," Lindsey said. "I was visiting him at a fire station where he was filling in. We were talking about how good we were at putting up with each other and Nick just blurted out, 'Well, I guess we should just get married then,' and looked at me expectantly.
"Fortunately, the fire bell rang and he had to run off and jump on the fire truck, saving me from answering!"
The second time did the trick, however. She was on her way out of town for a girls weekend, and as she was packing and preparing for the weekend she saw a ring and a note on her luggage that read, "Will you marry me?"
And of course she said yes. The couple has a unique relationship, according to Lindsey, and they're both "weird in their own little ways."
"My favorite thing about Nick," said Lindsey, "is that he not only accepts the fact that I am a total weirdo but he celebrates it and brags about it."
For example, Lindsey played a troll and a goblin in the Lionheart Theatre Company's production of "The Hobbit" last December, while Nick made part of her goblin costume, including armor.
Nick's favorite thing about Lindsey is her loyalty.
"No matter how discouraged I get or how crazy I am," said Nick, "she encourages me and loves me and thinks I can do anything."
For Valentine's Day, they went out for tacos and made sure to be home in time for "The Big Bang Theory," something they both consider a perfect evening for the two of them.
