When Alisha would fly down to FL from NYC back in 2017, she met Anthony very briefly in passing a few times while working out at the gym with her sister, Rachel. It wasn't until a night at Crown & Bull Restaurant in Dunedin, FL after Alisha had moved down from NYC to FL permanently, that Anthony and Alisha exchanged more than just a "hello." It was UFC Fight Night, Khabib versus McGregor in Las Vegas October 2018. Anthony was working security at the door of the restaurant on the side that night, and Rachel, (Alisha's sister), was helping the owners by collecting covers. Alisha sat on a barstool near her sister lined up perfectly to watch the fight. Alisha was intensely staring at the screen, when Anthony walked up to her, made eye contact, and yelled, "SMILE!" Alisha was offended and snarled at Anthony, "I'm paying attention to the fights!" He smirked playfully, and resumed speed walking away, making his security rounds. Annoyed that a man she didn't know asked her to smile, she thought it best to complain to her sister. Rachel actually did not side with her, and gave her a verbal beatdown, "well he's right, Alisha! You should smile more! You look scary and no one will ever speak to you looking like that!" A few months later in December, Rachel asked Alisha to come out to Crown & Bull for a charitable occasion, and participate in their bike drive organized by the owners of Crown & Bull and the business owners of Showtime Transportation. Rachel knew Anthony and kept telling Alisha to speak to him, that "he's a nice guy and really sweet." Anthony's best friend, a part-owner of Crown, Mike, was working that same night and spilled to Anthony that, "Rachel's sister, Alisha is here...and she thinks you're cute." That night, we sat by the firepit and were so engaged in conversation learning one another's life stories and struggles. We found out that we had a lot in common, and got lost in all that we were talking about. That was the official first night we spoke.

It was New Year's Eve in 2019, and Alisha and Anthony took a trip to NYC. Anthony hadn't seen Christmastime in the city for quite some time, so they wanted to experience it together. On New Year's Eve, it was in the mid-30s, and Anthony wanted to take a walk in Central Park. It had rained the night before, so the ground was still damp and the soil was a bit muddy. He said he wanted to visit iconic, picturesque spot, Gapstow Bridge, to take photos. Anthony kept looking at his navigation on his cell phone where he wanted to go, specifically, which Alisha found odd. "How is he navigating around MY city since I'm the one who knows where to go?", she thought to herself. "This is it!", said Anthony, and while in Central Park the two cut across the path and climbed steep rocks, which Alisha was not too keen of, (what woman enjoys dirtying her boots in the mud)? Confused as to why we were standing on a giant rock and not the bridge, Alisha looked around and scoped out the area wondering why we took this abrupt detour. A photographer was there snapping pictures, and Anthony called out to him asking for our picture to be taken. The man responded with, "I don't have to use your cell phone, let me use my camera!" Alisha's New Yorker instinct kicked in, "don't do it, he just wants to take our photos with his professional camera for money, it's a scam, he wants to get paid, no one does this sort of thing for free!" Anthony, said, "sure!" to the man, and he began taking pictures. "Anthony! What is going on here?" Alisha frantically yelled out. Anthony replied, "you want to know what is going on here, Alisha? What this really is?" He took out a small, black velvet ring box, opened it slowly, and there was a beautiful engagement ring nestled in the box. "Alisha, I love you with all of my heart...will you be my wife?" Alisha cried, stunned, and replied, "YES!" We walked around Central park thereafter taking photos with the "secret photographer" Anthony hired for the occasion.