Our next adventure

Brian: “I thought Amanda was cute, kind-hearted and fun. And very easy to talk with. I knew I wanted to see her again, so before the end of the date I asked her out for a second date.” Amanda: “We met at a low key bar called The Jeffrey for lunch. My first impression of Brian was that he was kind and struck me as someone who would be a good father. (Not something I normally think of!) I felt very comfortable with him right away. I remember thinking, I need to pay attention to this and see where it goes. The interstate romance didn’t bother me, partly because I didn’t realize how far West Hartford actually was, and partly because dating by proximity hadn’t yielded anything long lasting - so why not? On our second date, we had our first kiss and that’s when I knew for sure there was something there.”

Brian: “I had planned it out a few weeks prior to our 1-year anniversary. There were a lot of logistics to plan for the proposal, just like there are in our ‘medium-distance’ relationship. In the span of five days, I was going to be in New York with Amanda to see a concert, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for a work conference, back in New York again to cheer on friends in the marathon, and New Haven to teach before celebrating our anniversary back in Amanda’s neighborhood. I couldn’t bring my guitar at the start of the weekend, it would be too obvious, and I wasn't going home until Tuesday, so I had stashed my guitar in my office the Thursday prior and picked it up Monday when I went to campus to teach. I set everything up in the stairwell, so Amanda couldn’t hear me. And I walked in with the guitar strapped over my shoulder, ready to go. I decided to play, ‘You Are the Sunshine of My Life’ because that had become our song.” Amanda: “He has texted me ‘good morning sunshine,’ nearly everyday since we met.” Brian: “The second line of the song, the female vocalist sings you are the apple of my eye, which is an especially flattering compliment coming from Amanda because she eats more apples than anyone I know. I sat on Amanda’s couch in and amongst the laundry she was folding earlier and started to play. I had just learned the song and was admittedly nervous. And it is a piano song and is not easy on guitar.” Amanda: “It was so sweet. I was tearing up and so was he. After the song he said nice things and said, ‘I want to spend the rest of my life with you,’ and of course, I said yes! After a moment I said, ‘I am so glad it’s you.’ And I meant that. I truly did not know how this part of my life would turn out and I am so glad that it’s B because I know he’s the best partner for me. We ended up being 20 minutes late to our dinner reservation at Hoexter’s (site of our fifth date) and our waiter was the only one who knew about our engagement until the next morning. He sent us champagne. And we recorded the special occasion in their guest book."

Amanda: "I feel immense gratitude. I really appreciate how special it is to find someone whose values align with mine, who is in the right place in their life, and who fully gets and supports me. And makes me laugh! I am thankful too for my life before Brian – I learned how to be on my own, both in good and less good times (from solo travel to living alone in the pandemic). This time deepened my relationships with friends and family as well. Many of these friends and family members will be at our wedding celebration and whose love and support will continue long after the wedding. Love comes in many forms! At this age, we are so excited to move into this next chapter that we’re planning a wedding in four months, which has its own challenges, but overall I am grateful and wouldn’t change anything." Brian: "The wait was a long one. The engagement will be shorter. And we can’t wait to see what happens after this."