We both attended the College of Staten Island starting September 2011 and were introduced by a mutual friend, Michael Stora. One night in December, we were both at a party at a bar on Dock Street in Staten Island when a huge fight broke out. I (Deanna) was lost, I couldn't find my friends, my ride home and I couldn't find my bag. Isaac saw me wandering in the middle of this brawl and stuck me under his arm, found my bag, and led me outside and offered me a ride home with him and his friends. I saw my ride home walking down the street so I jumped out of the car and said 'Thanks, bye!' I had no idea that he would soon become one of my best friends. We became inseparable. We hung out almost everyday together for a year and a half until one day we realized we were more than just friends, we had fallen for each other. I didn't want to ruin our friendship though, so for 3 months we continued to stay friends, but constantly had conversations about how we felt for each other. One night after a really bad day I ended up seeing Isaac and crying. While consoling me and telling me things would get better, he told me how much he cared for me. I knew we had to take the leap and see where it would take us & Here we are 6 years later getting ready to spend the rest of our lives together.

After months of planning I knew it was the right time. I had just landed my dream job, and it was time take another huge step that would affect both of our lives. With my first paycheck and months of saving up I bought the Ring. A few weeks later on a random afternoon during dinner I asked her parents for their permission to marry their daughter. I pulled a box out of my pocket to show off the hardware, and with much shock, awe and happiness they agreed. This first part of many moving pieces of this master plan of mine in place. I knew from the moment I realized I loved her that I was gonna marry her, and just like many others in my position time and place of where to do it keeps a lot of men up at night. Looking at my schedule and job shifts I realized I was off for our anniversary September 21st. I’m not too much into the supernatural but this was a sign, I knew the time and place. It was gonna happen full circle, at Westerleigh Park the location that I told her that I love her on September 21st exactly five years earlier. Step 2 check. Now my fiancé is a photographer and I know I was gonna hear it for the rest of my life if I didn’t “capture the moment”. So I had to get a photographer, it had to be someone she hasn’t met yet. Luckily for me a cousin of mine is a photographer a true artist. My cousin happily agreed and step three was done. September 21 fell on a Friday and I had the weekend off, so I was gonna make this a weekend she would never forget.

We had talked before about getting married and the location, last year we went to a resort in upstate New Jersey called Mountain Creek. It was beautiful and had a homey-feel. So this weekend off we decided to go back to one of our favorite places. The weekend getaway and step four was done. Deanna had always wanted a surprise party, but never wanted an engagement party. So after a few weeks of planning with her parents and mine we decided to throw her a surprise engagement brunch with just us and our parents at a local spot Project Bruch followed by a surprise dinner Sunday night at the Portabello Cafe filled with our closest friends and family. The final step in my master plan. Now it was time to go do it. At the start of September I had made a fake flyer advertising a “Dog in the Park Event” at Westerleigh park. If you knew Deanna the way I do, mention puppies once and she will jump into action, so luring her to the park wasn’t as hard as I thought it was gonna be. We arrived at the park early around 11 am and just like we agreed upon my cousin sat on a bench in the park just waiting to capture the moment. The pressure was all on me now, I had planned for months and the last thing I wanted to do was choke at our big moment. But luckily that not the story. After walking a little in the park I walked past my cousin and asked “hey excuse me can you take our picture?” Then I turned to Deanna, gave her a kiss and dropped to one knee. I’d be lying if I told you I remember every thing I said but the main thing is that I remember the important part of my short 20 second speech. I remember telling D that I want to spend the rest of my life with her, and would she marry me? And of course I remember and always will her Yes that came after.