Written separately. Leslie: I woke up the morning of September 30, 2016 and told myself, “okay Leslie, time to meet new people. Go ahead and just go on dates.” It’s as if the stars had aligned because that same day Drew asked me to get drinks in the “EV” (I still make fun of him for calling East Village that). I’ll never forget the way he screamed “Hi, I’m Drew” in my ear as I walked into The Penny Farthing. Next thing I knew a flow of questions and wonderment came streaming out of my mouth because I wanted him to keep talking and telling me about himself. I wanted to know everything and anything about this man that I immediately became infatuated with. That 1st date lasted 7 hours and it was the best first date I’ve ever had in my entire life. The way he expressed his soul to me was invigorating and filled me with excitement and love. I knew from that very moment he was different. I needed more. I needed forever. Drew: Let me first say that September 30, 2016 was one of the best nights of my life. I remember seeing Leslie for the first time and thinking like a bazillion things at once; how am I on a date with someone so pretty? Be cool, don’t be a dud, smile. It’s impossible not to feel nervous. I was at the restaurant first and I noticed her walk in so I introduced myself with a very calm and collected “Hi, I’m Drew.” (Although Leslie will describe it more like “LESLIE! HI, I’M DREW!”) We sat down for dinner (I had just mentioned drinks, whoops!) and proceeded into one of the most intriguing conversations I’ve had. The waitress came back 3 or 4 times before we finally looked at our menus. And, before I make a short story a novel, I’ll get to what the night meant to us. We had both recently moved to NYC. New jobs. Vulnerable to the city’s pace. This date for us? A whim decision of just letting go. There wasn’t pressure. However, even a “whim” can be perfect in it's timing. This whim turned into a relationship that will be treasured forever.

Written separately. Leslie: What I thought was dinner with friends, ended up being a scavenger hunt recreating our first date. We had dinner next to The Penny Farthing, so I suggested that we go next-door to grab a drink and that I hadn’t been there since mine and Drew’s first date! (Side note: it was the plan to go here all along and I had suggested it before anyone mentioned it) Towards the end, the hostess comes over and slides a red envelope on the table and says “this is for Leslie." I open the letter and it is from Drew detailing our time there and hinting that I should go to the 2nd stop from our first date. We get there and I receive another letter, which leads me to Ferrara, the final destination. As I get out of the Uber, I see Drew and next thing I know he is getting down on 1 knee and proposing. BOOM. Everything went black and all I can remember was feeling immense amounts of love, support, and tears... yes lots of tears. Ladies and gentlemen, now that's what I call a New York proposal. Drew: What. A. Night. So, I basically created a scavenger hunt for Leslie in which she winds up reenacting our first date. Leslie believed she was just going out with a few friends but she did not know that they were helping me the whole time! About an hour before they arrived to dinner, I had dropped off letters to each venue that they would go to. The cards talked about our first date from my point of view. I finished dropping off the last letter just as they were finishing dinner and about to begin the first date sequence. I was waiting for Leslie to arrive at the last place, Ferrara Bakery in Little Italy. Here, I had coffee with her sister, Amanda, while we waited for her to get there. It seemed like we waited forever, but as soon as Leslie stepped out of the car my heart began pumping and time flew by. I knelt down on one knee and asked her right outside. So much anticipation and then BOOM, It was perfect.