In December 2019, I sat at the kitchen table with my mom, while exploring the dating app Coffee Meets Bagel. I had a few "beans" left in my account, and along came the profile of a cute guy named Sam. I showed my mom Sam's profile and some of his pictures (including the one where he was dressed as Ron Burgundy), and she exclaimed, "Go for it!" After some in-app messaging, Sam surprised me by suggesting a phone call. Man was I caught off guard. A call?!! Who was this guy? With butterflies in my stomach, Sam and I talked on the phone for 45 minutes. We then made plans to meet up the next week in NYC. On a chilly day in January 2020, Sam and I confirmed plans to have our first date at a ramen spot, Ichiran, on 49th Street near Times Square. I arrived at Ichiran, and Sam was nowhere to be found. I called Sam to let him know I was there (FYI - Sam is never late), and he said, "I'm here too." Well, it turned out that he was indeed there, but at the wrong Ichiran location – the one near Penn Station. After a subway ride uptown, Sam joined me at the correct Ichiran location. Despite the restaurant's unique solo dining booths, Sam removed the divider between us. Over the course of a 5-hour date filled with ramen and Sunday football, sparks flew, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In the comfort of our apartment, I asked my best friend to spend forever with me. Knowing that she was aware of the ring's existence, it was important to me to create a day filled with unexpected surprise and heartwarming familiarity. Our day began with brunch at one of her favorite spots, we then went axe throwing in Brooklyn, an activity we had shared three years prior, and concluded the day with dinner at Daniel, a Michelin-star restaurant on the Upper East Side. Of course, the final proposal was yet to come. Michelle would always mention that her perfect New York city night included lounging in comfortable clothes while watching a movie, and enjoying her favorite gelato from Anita's. And so, that's exactly how I chose to set the scene for our special moment. Unfortunately, Michelle was too full from our five-course dinner and was proceeding to fall asleep given the busy day of activities, but with the surprise brunch I set up for her with our families the following morning, I had to act soon. Fortunately she was energized by the prospect of gelato and that is when I got down on one knee and asked her to spend the rest of our lives together.