Max & Claire met either on famed internet application Coffee Meets Bagel, or through Claire's cousin Jenni when Max and Jenni both worked at Quartz. Their origin really depends on who you talk to, and how well you understand the internet (this is a vaguely ageist statement--sorry, grandma(s)). Claire rescheduled her first date with Max several times, but eventually it happened, on January 2nd when the world seems bright and full of possibility. Claire & Max went to Tangled Vine, on the Upper West Side, and drank some wine. They realized they basically grew up several blocks from each other. Max gave Claire his business card. The rest, as they say, is history. On their third date, Max and Claire took a long walk through Central Park. They started to read the plaques on the benches (you know, the ones that say "thank you for being the best Aunt Mildred," and "in celebration of my dog's 900th human birthday"). It became a game and a way to think about the stories that exist in the world and eventually, the inspiration for an alternate reality children's book birthday present (see "Photos"). On this famed third date, Claire took Max to one of her favorite bookstores--Book Culture, on 82nd / Columbus. There, in the Children's section in the basement, Claire read Max her favorite children's book, Miss Rumphius (which should be italicized but there is no italicize on this computer thing). Miss Rumphius is the best book in the whole world, and tasks children and adults to try to make the world more beautiful. Max refers to this date in his head and when telling this story as the "this is a thing" date. We are about to run out of room. Engagement Story will go in a separate post. No one should be surprised.

Fast forward a lot of meals, long walks, short walks, adventure trips, cooking activities, and POWERful camp moments to June 22, 2017. Max's parents were in town from California, and Claire had been bothering Max for...months...about a possible engagement this particular weekend (for "the ring" story, see one of us, or wait until someone undoubtedly tells this story at the wedding). Max continued to tell Claire that it wasn't happening this weekend, and she needed to be patient, and blah blah blah. Melissa, famed friend of Claire and co-conspirator, had plans to have dinner with Claire and celebrate an unrelated but equally important occasion. She convinced Claire to get her nails manicured. This is when Claire knew that she was getting engaged, just as she thought. Claire told everyone in the world, including her summer bosses, that she was going to get engaged on June 22nd after work. Claire didn't want to be over-confident, so she wore her favorite tie-dyed shirt from Whole Hog BBQ and a pair of exercise pants. She met Melissa at Dashing Diva. She exuded over-confidence. Melissa eventually told Claire that she was not being present, she was not going to get engaged today, and she was not being a good friend. Claire began to cry. Claire emailed her summer bosses and said she wasn't actually getting engaged. Claire and Melissa then walked to Riverside Park, a usual activity, and all of a sudden there was Max, waiting in front of a bench. Claire started screaming: "BUT MELISSA TOLD ME THIS WASN'T GOING TO HAPPEN" and "I AM NOT READY." Max said he would wait until she was ready. Then and there, they got engaged in front of a bench that Max secretly made for Claire, that reminds all who pass it to think about beauty in the world.