We're getting married!

It was April of 2020 when Elizabeth and I met on a dating app. I was quarantined in my parents’ basement in Westchester while Elizabeth had returned to her childhood home in Rocky Point. Dating app interactions are notorious for quickly fading, but our conversations would endure for hours. We would keep talking into the late evening, sometimes running out of things to say but neither of us wanting to sign off. We had a lot in common: physical therapists, practicing Catholics, lovers of travel & adventure. We spoke about the exotic vacations we would take when the world reopened - Fiji was at the top of the list, which is where we will be going on our honeymoon! I went to bed the first night we spoke with a beaming smile on my face. I had just met my future wife. We spoke via text for weeks because COVID made it too unsafe for us to meet in person. We were finally able to meet for the first time on a warm evening in late May. I remember the day vividly—we sat six feet apart on a park bench, only occasionally removing our masks to sneak a bite of our Thai food. We did not think it would be safe to give each other a parting hug. She was absolutely perfect in every way possible. Elizabeth remained on Long Island for the summer, while I moved to Hoboken NJ (I apologize to all the Long Islanders reading this). I would drive out to see her every weekend, and we would go on 10-hour adventures—paddle boarding, sailing, canoeing, zip lining, standing knee deep in the ocean watching a dramatic sunset -- her mother thinking that she had been kidnapped. Every time I saw her I fell more deeply in love. As the months passed and the weather grew colder, we spent weekends holed up watching movies on the couch, ordering takeout, and sharing a lot of laughs. The story of our meeting is far from typical. We found true love during a year of isolation, loss, and grief. Finding you, and now marrying you, is a million dreams and a million prayers come true. We are truly blessed.

Chris had been planning a day trip out to Greenport for the weekend after my board exam. We wanted to revisit the outdoor LI adventures we had shared in the summer of 2020 and celebrate my first study-free weekend. As per usual, he was ready to go bright and early and I was not. "Do you think I should take the time to paint my nails?" I asked him. "You can if you want to. We're not in a rush," was his unassuming reply. I decided not to, as I was too eager to get out to the beach. It was an unseasonably beautiful July day: 70s, sunny, no humidity. We spent it window shopping in Greenport's boutiques and picnicking on the beach. In the evening, we shared a delicious meal in the most picturesque restaurant imaginable, sipping fancy cocktails on a deck over the water as the sun began its slow summer descent. It was such a beautiful restaurant that I began to doubt myself... maybe I SHOULD have painted my nails after all! But the check came, and no ring, so clearly my original expectations were correct. Chris was intent on watching the sunset at a local beach, one that happened to be plastered with "NO PARKING" signs. I was apprehensive to leave the car for fear of getting towed, but he insisted. We went down 67 steps to the beginnings of a glorious sunset. I wanted to sit on a rock and watch the sky. He wanted to keep walking. He's bossy tonight, I thought. When he asked me to put my bag down and took both my hands in his, lip quivering, I knew. He spoke from his heart and I blubbered from my eyes as he got down on one knee and held out the most beautiful ring. Out of my peripheral vision, I became aware of a figure holding a camera running at us. We spent the rest of the evening under a gorgeous sky accumulating stunning photographic memories that we will cherish forever. Marrying Chris is an answered prayer that I am grateful for and humbled by every day. We can't wait to spend the rest of our lives making more beautiful memories together, starting June 4th!