PLEASE BRING PROOF OF VACCINATION TO THE WEDDING! All NYC events will require proof of vaccination. This means at the door, you will have either the physical card, a photo of your card, or an uploaded version on one of the apps listed on the NYC website. Please see the website for more details, but most importantly, BRING PROOF OF VACCINE! https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccines-keytonyc.page We're excited to have our friends and family join us for a celebratory weekend in New York City. In addition to the wedding on Friday, we will be hosting other events throughout the weekend to extend the celebration. Please see the Schedule page for more details! If you have any questions, feel free to contact us and we will continue to update you if guidelines change.
We first met virtually on the dating app Bumble, where Tracy still maintains skepticism that Jim re-used his opening pick-up line. Luckily the skepticism didn't last long, as we quickly arranged a first date the Monday night of MLK day in 2017. Tracy likes to poke fun at the location Jim picked, an oyster bar called the Black Crescent, as it was conveniently located a couple blocks from his apartment at the time. Jim still maintains he was injured and didn't want to walk too far. The conversation was easy, we discussed our mutual love for family, travel, and adventure, and we both knew instantly there would be a second date. Due to the convenient proximity to Jim's apartment, he was able to steal a kiss from Tracy as she walked him home.
A few months into dating, Jim was working in Austin, TX and invited Tracy to visit him for the weekend. We had taken a few day trips and a weekend skiing with friends, but this was the first time it would be just us for a weekend. He picked her up from the airport on Friday and quickly dropped their bags off at the Airbnb in a high rise with a great view over the city. Jim wasted no time indoctrinating Tracy into the Austin scene and we were quickly off taking in all facets of 6th street, from West for cocktails, 'Dirty' for live music, and East for late night mezcal... The next day, Jim planned a morning run on a Barton Creek trail. The rocky footing made it challenging, and the drinks the night before made it even more so, but it quickly proved our mutual enjoyment for a tough physical challenge. Luckily, a hangover cure was around the corner at our next stop, one of Jim's favorite taco places just a short walk from Barton Springs Pool. We laid out on the hill, jumped in the cold spring water, and recovered from the night before. After regrouping at the Airbnb, we set out around sunset to the infamous Congress Avenue bridge. As hundreds of thousands of bats exit from under the bridge making black waves in the sky, Jim provided his best Planet Earth narration, even turning heads of some bystanders. The night took us to Rainey St, for a unique dining experience at Emmer & Rye, followed by some mild bar game competition at one of the many converted houses on Rainey. Jim showed Tracy the Austin he knew and loved, but Sunday was more of a 'Tracy day.' We did some shopping on South Congress, made a short stop at a hill country vineyard before enjoying a sunset dinner overlooking Lake Travis. The trip ended on an unexpected high note when Tracy's flight out early Monday morning was cancelled. We were able to spend our last night downtown, enjoying good food, absinthe and live funk music in a little hidden courtyard.
It felt like everything fell into place perfectly and in the beginning of 2018, we decided to move in together. Thanks to Tracy’s vigorous research, Jim’s patience for Tracy’s refusal to settle, and the help and generosity from Tracy’s sister, Lauren, we found our first home. Right around Jim’s birthday, we moved into a Manhattan apartment in the Caroline building in NYC's Flatiron/Chelsea neighborhood. One of our favorite parts of our new home was being able to share it with our family and friends. Kicking it off with a great housewarming party, our place became a common gathering place for our city friends. We enjoyed rooftop BBQ’s, happy hour drinks, and lazy football Sundays. We hosted a slew of friends and family from out of town and especially felt proud to have a place comfortable enough to host Tracy’s mom Alice a few times. From day one, it seemed living together almost came too easy. Jim was able to work from home when not traveling for work, while Tracy had the luxury of walking to work in her new job at LinkedIn in the Empire State Building. On our nights in, it was common for us to whip up a home cooked meal inspired by the latest Top Chef or even take on some friendly competition in a cook off. On our nights out, we'd frequently trade off seeing live music at one of NYC's many venues or exploring the newest bar popping up in our ever-changing neighborhood. We moved in together both thinking life together would be good, and by the time we left knew it would be great.
Like everyone else in the world, March 2020 brought about a massive change. As the country was locking down, we packed a weekend bag, our work laptops, and escaped up to Rye, New Hampshire to the empty home of Jim’s brother Chris. It would eventually become the spark of a year-long ride we had no idea we were boarding. While initially only planning to escape until things ‘settled down,’ it became apparent that the world was not going back to normal anytime soon. After a few months of quarantining, Chris and his wife Dana generously allowed us to stay in their house for the remainder of the year. We broke our lease, returned to NYC to move out and officially became New Hampshire residents. Jim had been coming up to Rye his entire life with family, but Tracy was relatively green to the ‘Live Free or Die’ ways of NH life. Over the year, Tracy grew to love NH just as much as Jim. From morning walks on the beach, the charm of downtown Portsmouth, or short drives to North Conway and Portland for weekends, we made the most of our time in New England. Jim perfected steaming lobsters, riding his bike loaded with beach gear, and Tracy became a real ‘beach girl,’ even braving the cold water for a morning surf lesson. Just a 5-minute drive away, Jim and Tracy cherished every minute they had with Jim’s grandma ‘Grammy.’ Jim and his brothers grew even closer, constantly FaceTiming with Chris and his family in Sydney, Australia, and just an hour from his brother Bill in Boston. We were lucky enough to host some friends and family for weekends, which are some of our best memories from our time there.
It is the reason you’re reading this, and for many (especially Tracy), well overdue. On October 9, 2020, Jim finally asked Tracy to marry her, and she said yes. Jim and Tracy were in Rye, NH and had planned to go out for dinner in Portsmouth. The prior day, while out running “errands," Jim dropped an overnight bag at Grammy’s and informed her of his secret plan. The next day as we got ready to leave for pre-dinner drinks, Tracy had a suspicion something was up. She even texted her best friend on the way over “something fishy is going on….”. When arriving at Grammy’s, Jim’s suggestion to watch the sunset from the rocks in front of Grammy’s house was the final giveaway to Tracy he had something up his sleeve. It was in that location, a place that we’ll visit for the rest of our lives, Jim got down on one knee and proposed. A not so subtly hidden photographer captured the proposal and followed us over to Grammy’s for a celebratory champagne toast. Tracy was just as surprised to see a white limousine pull up as she was when Grammy accidentally let slip in all the excitement Jim’s secret plan to go to Boston for the evening. We rode down to Boston calling friends and family along the way sharing our exciting news. The celebration continued that evening over a beautiful French tasting menu at Menton in Boston’s seaport. The next morning, after a few too many glasses of champagne the night before, we took a much-needed stroll around charming Beacon Hill on the perfect Fall day. Upon returning to the hotel, Jim detoured to the front desk, at which point the big mouth desk attendant explained that the masseuse was just sent up to our room (another planned surprise shared prematurely). Feeling much more relaxed after a whirlwind of a night, we met Jim’s brother Bill and his girlfriend Taylor for a celebratory brunch who heard a much more colorful version of this story than could make it on this page and graciously treated us to a chauffeured ride back to Rye.
As 2020 came to a close, we weren't ready to settle into our next home or for the adventure to end. After spending the holidays with Jim’s family on Long Island, we hit the road and started our 2021 road trip down South. After a quick stop in Philadelphia to see friends, our first week in January was spent with Tracy's mom Alice in Maryland. As Mom's do, we were spoiled with endless good food and long over due family time. Over the next 2 months, we had an unforgettable trip visiting Tracy’s friends throughout the South. We went from Raleigh with the Harris family, to Boone, NC in the snowy mountains, to Nashville with the Ryans, to Atlanta with the Levinsons and Duffys and lastly reunited in Savannah with Andrew and Amanda. Sprinkled in lunch stops in Asheville and St. Augustine, a tow truck from Chattanooga to ATL and one newly leased car, and happily settled in 7 weeks later to Grammy's condo in Jupiter, Florida.