How We Met Ben and Alyssa met the old fashioned way — online. Alyssa was frustrated that after many first dates, no one felt just right. Instead of quitting, though, she listened to her wise Grandma Shirley's advice that dating is like the lottery: "You Gotta Be in It to Win It." Ben decided to dip a toe into the dating pool after a break. Both were encouraged by friends to try a new online dating tool: Tinder. Both were skeptical of that advice, but decided to give it a try. Our First Conversation Alyssa saw Ben's kind smile and decided to swipe left. Ben saw Alyssa holding a baby goat, and thought she looked nice. Our first conversation was through app, and Ben’s embarrassed at the silly, stiff messages he sent.
Our First Date Our first date was on April 14, 2016 at Matt Murphy's Pub in Brookline Village. Alyssa's first impression of Ben was that he was cuter than his picture, and very easy to talk to. Ben's first impression of Alyssa was that she was smart and kind, with a friendly self-assuredness that was engaging. Our First Kiss For their next date Ben and Alyssa walked around Brookline and watched the Marathon. They walked and talked for hours and settled on a bench behind the Coolidge Corner Cinema where they shared their first kiss. This location would henceforth be known as "their bench." When it was time for Alyssa to leave to go to personal training at Healthworks, she cancelled telling her trainer that "her date was going too well for her to come."
Our Proposal On October 26, 2017, a random Thursday night, Ben told Alyssa that he wanted to go to Coolidge Corner to buy a kippah. Alyssa had the sense that something was coming, and had been hoping that Ben would take her to their bench to propose. Ben, meanwhile, was trying so hard to make it a surprise. When their Lyft pulled up in front of Coolidge Corner Cinema, Alyssa squealed. Ben walked with her to the bench, and amid lots of happy tears (both of us) and jumping up and down (Alyssa), Ben asked Alyssa to marry him. A few weeks later, Kathe Gregory, Bob Nesson, and Heather Merrill surprised Ben and Alyssa with a plaque on their bench marking the occasion.