I was celebrating my best friend, Lindsey’s birthday over oysters and champagne. After popping a few bottles of bubbly, we decided to go to the bar next door for a drink (or two). Unbeknownst to me, I was about to meet the man of my dreams. Sitting at the bar were two guys with long hair wearing flat bill hats. Intrigued, Lindsey and I had just enough liquid courage to strike up a conversation. “So what’s your story?” I asked. Not what I expected to hear, but Tripp was at the bar because he had just broke up with his live in girlfriend. We exchanged numbers and went our separate ways. I wasn’t expecting to hear from him considering he was going through a breakup. But, it wasn’t 30 minutes later I got a text message asking if I wanted to meet at another bar. Tripp was stone cold sober that night, but it didn’t stop him from taking me to every bar on 6th street where he knew someone. We discovered we had several mutual friends and we’re shocked we had never met before. Later that night I gave him a ride to his car in my Jeep wrangler. I think he was impressed with my offensive driving, or maybe it was the fact I could drive a stick shift? I’m not sure, but, we’ve been together every since. Some will say it was fate some will say it was destiny, but we just happened to be in the right spot at the right time that day. Oh, and to this day we celebrate our anniversary and Lindsey’s birthday jointly as our “birthversary”

I should let Tripp tell this story after all the unforeseen circumstances leading up to the actual proposal. But I will go ahead and set the scene… We were going to New York to spend Christmas in the city! We had big plans too! Similar to our first trip to the Dominican Republic, we had decided to book a helicopter tour of the city. Well, as Mother Nature would have it, our helicopter tour was cancelled due to rain and temperatures well below freezing. No big deal I said, we got our money back, more money for shopping! Right!? Meanwhile, Tripp is sweating bullets in this wintery wonderland we are in. Frantic because he had plans to propose on that helicopter tour, he carried the ring around in his pocket for days trying to decide when, where, and how. Well…things just can’t ever be easy with me! Two days before our trip, our dog Minkus, bit me on the nose. It basically looked like I had my nose ring ripped out, except I didn’t have a nose ring! After a quick trip to the urgent care, I was given some antibiotics and was go to go! Or so I thought… Christmas Eve morning arrives and we’re going to the MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art with Tricia, Tripp’s Aunt and one of her friends. Tripp being the timely and punctual person he is, was “rushing” me to leave the hotel. Without hesitation, I take my antibiotics and we’re out the door. About 10 minutes later we arrive at MoMA and find ourselves standing right in front of Van Gogh’s A Starry Night painting. All of the sudden, I turn pale white as the nausea takes ahold of me. Not the feeling I had anticipated upon seeing Van Gogh’s work. But, this is why we don’t take antibiotics on an empty stomach. After expelling what antibiotics were left in my stomach, it was safe to say, I had ruined Tripp’s second attempt of a proposal. Later that night, we had dinner plans with Tricia, and my good friend Devin was joining us from Jersey City. But first, the Rockefeller Center to see the 82-foot tall Christmas Tree. There it was, in all it’s glory, beaming with lights and surrounded by tourists. Like tourist, I wanted to take a picture in front of the tree with everyone, and in typical New York spirit, there was a New Yorker hustling photographs on the street. We snapped a picture in the -10 degree weather and waited patiently for it to print. Then we waited some more before Tripp became impatient in the freezing temperatures and suggested we go take our own picture in front of the tree…