They met at Emma's meetup in July of 2014. Manny hadn't planned on attending, but when Emma sent him a personal invite, he decided that he had to make it! The meetup started at a local cafe, progressed to lunch, ice cream sandwiches, and then a nearby park. Manny and Emma were both immediately drawn to each other. He even gave her a ride to the park in his old Mazda. They made their first date a few days later, on July 13th, 2014. It started off with (veggie) burgers and beer at Alameda's 1400 Bar and Grill and ended at Alameda's Crown Memorial Beach, which is right next to where they now live. At the beach they did a silly drawing exercise (Manny didn't mention being an artist!), flirted, and watched the windsurfers. The rest is ancient history! Every day Emma walks their dog Cal on that very same beach where they had their first date, and they live happily in a small studio apartment, in beautiful Alameda, with their animal family. What a beautiful life they have!