August is a time not only for recess and rowdy town halls but also for a little romance. Harrison Frist, the oldest son of former Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and an associate at the Carlyle Group, proposed to his girlfriend, Ashley Huff, an aide to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), at the top of the Capitol Dome on Aug. 6.

[IMGCAP(1)]A friend of the couple said they met on President George W. Bush’s 2004 campaign and came to the Capitol for their first date, waiting in line to pass by President Ronald Reagan’s casket in the Rotunda that summer (not the usual first-date venue).

The most memorable August proposal on the Hill involved a couple of Members on the House floor.

In August 1993, then-Rep. Bill Paxon dropped to one knee in the back of the chamber to ask then-Rep. Susan Molinari to marry him. He told Roll Call later that he waited for a pause between votes.

“We both love our jobs, we love our constituents, and we love each other,— Molinari told Roll Call. The two New York Republicans married the following July. They shared an apartment in D.C. and traveled back to their respective districts on the weekends. It was the first proposal on the House floor and the second wedding of two sitting House members.

Emily Heil and Elizabeth Brotherton are hiking the Appalachian Trail this week. They will return Monday.

Can’t get enough HOH? Get a midday dose of fun and gossip with HOH’s One-Minute Recess, delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here — because everyone deserves more recess.