Celebrate with us at the beach!

A long time ago in the before times, our heroes both worked for Aon on Long Island. Adrian worked as an assessor in the Assessment Center performing role plays, doing test administration and providing customer assistance. In walks our dashing hero, Dave, who was in charge of the development and support for GATE - the tool used by Adrian to conduct the assessments. Adrian had just been tasked with a high priority mission to Chicago to assist McDonalds with their implementation of the brand new platform, and found herself in Dave's office for a crash training course on how to support this new tool.

The year is 2015 and Dave is starting his burgeoning running passion. After a bit of cajoling and needling, he convinces Adrian and some friends to participate in the Smithtown Running of the Bull - a 5K race celebrating the 200th anniversary of Smithtown.

New Years Eve 2019. Another race - this one in Central Park. Dave was running a half marathon that morning in Florida, but when Adrian asked if he would be interested in running Central Park with her - after cancelling the previous year - he changed his flight to make it in time. It was was later retroactively agreed that this was the first date but Dave was too oblivious at the time to recognize it. The rain that night was intense - as our heroes braved the wet cold night and approached the start line of a great romance.

It is a tumultuous time. Dave has left Aon and is working out of New York City. In an effort to reduce his commute, he finds a beautiful townhouse in New Jersey. Adrian and Dave have continued to spend time together, but haven't actually discussed the state of their relationship. Adrian - gathering her courage - takes charge. A heart to heart discussion is begun, and a relationship is formalized. Dave moves to New Jersey that weekend.

As the looming pandemic approached, we welcomed two new family members into the fold. Shea and Wrigley (named for the baseball stadiums our respective teams inhabited during our youth) joined the family in March 2020. These bundles of energy immediately declared war on our furniture - and have recently declared victory over our dining room chairs after a sustained assault. As the quarantine drudged on, they sparked excitement and spontaneity as they proceeded to wrap Dave around their fingers - errr paws.

It is a dark and dangerous time. A global pandemic has swept the world bringing chaos and uncertainty to the world. Everyone is bunkering down and slashing contact with the outside world. Adrian finds herself co-bubbling in New Jersey - where there is a bit more space than her studio apartment. Through the crucible of the pandemic, Dave and Adrian forge their relationship ever stronger.

After two years of running the Central Park New Year's Eve race, Dave finds himself needing to plan an actual outing in the time of social distancing. Our heroes plan a getaway to the nearby Jersey Shore - a night of dinner and an evening at a local resort to celebrate their anniversary. Before dinner, during a walk along the boardwalk they stop to watch the ocean. Dave seizes his opportunity, drops to one knee, and proposes... and after an unbelievably long pause which had Dave's heart in his throat (I mean like really long), Adrian says YES.