James and Amanda met while both working crazy hours in the food industry. Amanda worked at a local pizzeria since she was just 13 years old. James worked at a local Italian specialty deli since he was 15 years old. They both grew up in working in the food business which has been something they bond over still. Amanda had a crush on the cute Pastosa delivery guy since she could remember and would always be on the lookout if she knew he was making a delivery. After countless nervous glances and excuses to be nearby during a delivery, her boss had enough. One day he told James that he knows a really nice girl for him if he's interested. James, quickly figuring out it was Amanda, agreed and gave his number to be passed on. Amanda waited about 5 days (duh!) before texting him and that was the beginning of their friendship. A couple weeks later, the pizzeria needed some items from Pastosa before the weekend rush. Amanda was the first to volunteer and the next morning she was in the deli with the biggest knot in her stomach. James quickly spotted her from the large crowd and waved her up. She grabbed the items, said goodbye and left. She didn't even make it to the pizzeria when she received a text from James apologizing for not walking her to her car. They began texting throughout the day and by the end of Amanda's shift, James had invited her to be his date at his uncles birthday party that same night! She hesitated, but agreed. That was the beginning of their 13 month friendship that quickly transformed into their great love story.

James and I were spending a beautiful Sunday with my sister and her boyfriend. We began with a lunch in Babylon village and then planned to take a ride to Robert Moses Beach and climb the Fire Island Lighthouse. This is an activity James and I do often so I didn't think anything was out of the ordinary. We stopped for a few pictures but we were eager to get to the top. Once we reached the top, it seemed like we were up there forever. We walked all around a few times and chatted with some people. I began asking if we could climb down but everyone insisted we stay up for a bit longer. Finally, at approximately 3:42 pm (plane was scheduled to fly over at 3:30 pm), a plane began to fly over the lighthouse with a banner attached reading, "I LOVE YOU AMANDA! WILL YOU MARRY ME?" All I could say was, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" over and over again. My sister handed James the ring she was carefully hiding in her purse and her boyfriend, Michael, was recording the entire moment. I kept covering my eyes because I truly couldn't believe what was happening. James pulled my hands out of my face and asked me the easiest question I ever had to answer. Just as I said "YES!" I heard a scream and looked down and saw my mom and James' mom with a bottle of champagne. We made our way down and toasted to our engagement. I couldn't wait to get to my grandparents house to share the exciting news. As we pulled up I made my way to the backyard and was greeted with a loud "SURPRISE!" All of our close friends and immediate family were waiting for us to celebrate. I was completely shocked. I was exactly what i could've ever hoped for. To be able to celebrate this incredible moment with everyone close to me was truly indescribable. During the party, James pulled me aside and surprised me with an overnight stay at a hotel out east. He planned for us to spend the entire next day at our favorite wineries. It was a dream come true that lasted two incredible days.