It started with three chili peppers and a box of Ladureé macarons the Wednesday before Memorial Day weekend 2017. Josh didn’t know what to make of this spirited Texas woman. Nicole had never met someone with so many advanced degrees! Over the course of the summer, they explored the city—watching volleyball and zorbing on Pier 26, trying new restaurants on the Lower East Side and sipping boozy slushees in Williamsburg. Josh sang karaoke at his first Seder and Nicole met a baby calf on the Schmitt family farm. Three more years of gallery openings, performances, and parties drew them closer. They adopted a mini golden doodle and became a family on the Upper East Side. After navigating a year of COVID quarantine — and 2 new Long Island City apartments — they were certain they could take on anything together!