On a dark and stormy night, a year on into the greatest pandemic of our time and when storms had been crashing into the pillars of our democratic society all day, we met for a walk in Central Park with the canine known as Rocket. We went up, down, around, sideways, backward, and forwards. We talked about everything we could talk about under the bright moonlight of January 6, 2021. Several more dates followed - some with Rocket, some without. Barry spent a lot of time walking or biking back and forth between East 115th Street and Central Park West. They hiked Bear Mountain; they watched Hamilton (Briel insisted) and The Expanse (Barry insisted). They met friends and went on adventures and cooked empanadas and saag paneer. They met each other's families and discovered that they shared the same values, made each other laugh, and wanted to keep this very good thing going. Their first major trip together was to Puerto Rico, enjoying the wild horses of Vieques and the winding streets of San Juan. At the conclusion of that trip, they agreed it was time to combine residences. From their perch in Harlem, Briel and Barry worked on ways to support each other, grow together, and build on what they had. They continued their adventuring in Panama, Chicago, the Berkshires, Boston, and all around NYC. Barry saw more theater than he ever had in his whole life; Briel embraced the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. In January of 2023, Briel and Barry decamped to Weston, Vermont to celebrate their two-year anniversary. Barry had an engagement ring with him on this trip but kept it secret from Briel - who is very hard to keep a secret from! Initially, the plan was to propose at a fancy dinner. But after a full day of skiing at Okemo, normal restaurant procedures that put unexpected hurdles in front of Barry (they took his jacket!), and very friendly communal dining neighbors, the plan did not come to fruition. The following morning, Briel and Barry rushed to breakfast at JJ Hapgood General Store & Eatery. Briel got an egg sandwich and Barry got a breakfast burrito; each got coffee (we know you want all of the important details). During a conversation about what the future had in store, Barry produced a letter asking Briel to be his wife (and first his domestic partner for the health insurance). She said yes! And we can't wait to see you to celebrate that "yes" on September 3rd!