By Mary Fitzgerald

When we got the text message from our daughter’s boyfriend of almost four years asking for an opportunity to FaceTime with him, something we’ve never done, we immediately knew it meant one thing – he must be looking for some pickleball tips and advice!

It was early October 2023 when we got the call, and after a few minutes of catching up, David said, "Your family has been so welcoming to me, I’d really love to become a part of it." We almost felt as if we’d been proposed to! We were overjoyed to finally hear that David and Shannon would be making it official, but there was just one thing left to do – find a time to surprise an incredibly sharp and "never miss a trick" kind of girl like Shannon.

We knew Shannon would be coming home to Boston from Seattle where they live to celebrate an early Thanksgiving with our family, but David wasn't going to be able to make it. We'd catch him next time – wink, wink! Boston can be pretty cold in mid November, but my husband and I were pretty sure we'd still be playing pickleball outside with our friends and the help of PlayTime Scheduler!! We had an idea, a court-side proposal! David loved it and knew Shannon would too – they’ve been playing in Seattle and are always looking for new opportunities to show off their skills! David had some custom paddles made and scheduled a red eye flight, arriving in Boston in the early morning just in time to surprise Shannon on the court! It was magical! Thank you PlayTime Scheduler for a memory that will last a lifetime, not just for Shannon and David, but for us and all our pickleball friends who were there that day to join us in such a joyful experience!