Lock Haven love birds reunite in Harrisburg
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HARRISBURG -- At a small, family-owned, Italian restaurant called Alvaro Bread and Pastry Shoppe in Harrisburg, Megan Hoy and Nathan Lilla finally had their first date.
Having had a crush from afar, Nathan first met Megan in 2005 at Lock Haven University, through a Spanish class they both had enrolled in. He was shy and she was not. Nathan recalled that his thoughts of Megan back then were very intimidating.
"I was very nerdy and found all women intimidating," Nathan laughed. "But when I finally got to know her, I was surprised at how friendly she was. I remember seeing her at High Hall, but back then we did not actually talk. I loved her smile though. I thought she was very, very pretty."
Megan reminisced on her favorite memory of Nathan, first realizing she had a crush.
"My favorite memory at Lock Haven was Nathan teaching me how to play guitar. After the third time of being neighbors at Lock Haven, I found that he was musically talented and very intelligent," Megan said. "He brought over an Estaban DVD that his best friend Joseph gave him. I still have that DVD to this day, along with the same guitar that I still cannot play."
Neither Megan nor Nathan thought they would see each other again after leaving Lock Haven. It was not until years later, when Nathan was hanging out with Joseph on New Year's Eve 2018, that Nathan learned Megan was also living in Harrisburg. Shortly thereafter, word reached her about Nathan.
When the soon-to-be couple discovered they were both living in Harrisburg, they began to occasionally exchange messages.
"I remember walking to meet him at Millworks in the summer of 2019 to hang out and catch up. I remember him sending me a message, asking me to go out on a date," she said. "I had the butterflies."
"I asked her out. There was no way she was going to ask me out. She wasn't going to do that," Nathan said. "I texted her and then was too nervous to check for her reply. I remember I kept waiting, I was so anxious."
In September of 2019, Megan and Nathan finally had their first date. The small spark they shared way back in Lock Haven finally was reignited.
"But the spark was a little stronger for me this time because Nathan had bloomed and was very suave," Megan said, smiling.
Nathan said, "It was probably good that we waited before meeting again, so that now we can appreciate each other much more. It was almost as if it was fate that we did not get together back then."
Nathan also said that "living through the lockdowns only strengthened their bond during this time of isolation and uncertainty."
"Nathan is my Zen," Megan said, “He makes me feel safe and peaceful."
When asked what the couple loves most about each other, Nathan said, "She has attributes I admire, attributes I lack, and when we're together we supplement and complement each other. Something I need help with, she inevitably can do it. If she needs help, it is usually something that I can help with. The missing things in my life that I can't fill, she does. It's like a puzzle -- our pieces are well-matched to fit each other."
After dating for almost three years, Nathan proposed to Megan during their annual ski trip at Jim Thorpe.
Megan said, "He had asked me to look at a ruby-colored light in the ceiling of the gazebo we were in, and I had a suspicion he was getting ready to propose. I turned around, and he asked while kneeling on one knee, 'Megan Hoy, will you marry me?' Of course, I said yes!"
The couple are getting married later this year and plan to have a small ceremony with close friends and family.