Derek and Laura's first date was on May 4th, 2016 (little did they know that they were both Star Wars fans). They planned to meet at Pizza Taglio (RIP), but Derek had to call an audible after realizing the restaurant was closed that day. After deciding to meet at Cafe Zinho, Derek got there early and waited for Laura to arrive. Laura, who was a little frazzled after a tough day at work and finding a parking spot, walked around the corner and saw the little restaurant. Derek was sitting at a table by the French doors that look out onto the street, and waved when he saw her. So excited to get into the restaurant and meet this handsome guy, Laura tried (and failed) to open the doors and quickly realized that she had to enter on the other side of the building. Luckily, Derek still agreed to have dinner with Laura after the embarrassing display (it wouldn't be the last--on their next date, Laura walked in front of his car in the crosswalk on the way to the restaurant and almost got hit). They had a wonderful time getting to know each other and sharing a bottle of wine. They go to Cafe Zinho each year on their anniversary.

A couple weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, Derek and Laura were getting accustomed to the new routine of spending weekends at home instead of going out to brunch or meeting up with friends. After a super fun virtual Friday game night with Laura's sister and brother-in-law, Becca and Mike, Derek walked a sleepy Laura up to bed. She was so sleepy, she didn't notice that Derek has set the kitchen table for a special breakfast that he would make the next day. Laura woke up on Saturday to the smell of food cooking, and to Derek up and dressed for the day (this is a rare sight on a Saturday morning). When she came downstairs, the table was set with champagne glasses and a special menu for the meal. Laura was particularly impressed with the food descriptions that Derek wrote (she later realized that each course had a synonym for "married" in it). After a few French 75s and lots of delicious food and good conversation, Laura looked over at the sink and wondered how she could convince Derek to join her in a nap before tackling all the dirty dishes. Before Laura had the chance to make her argument, Derek stood up, walked over to her side of the table and got down on one knee with a tiny gray box. Laura yelled "what are you doing?!?!?" because she couldn't possibly believe that after a crazy couple weeks of working from home together, that Derek wanted to marry her (jk). In the gray box was the most perfect diamond ring that Derek had sneakily brought into the house several days before during a lunchtime walk. The rest of the day was spent calling loved ones and friends to share the good news.