Usually an idea for a Friday night that starts with the words "Okay, hear me out..." doesn't end up as a happily ever after tale, but that's exactly what occurred on June 25th of 2021. Looking to switch things up from the typical night out on Bedford Street in Stamford, Eric assembled the crew for some good ol' fun at a hibachi restaurant, before heading to the newly opened Pinstripes in Norwalk. And just like that, Hibachi-Bocce Night was created. Unbeknownst to Morgan, who was working her tail off that night as the sole bartender at Pinstripes, a large group of sake-filled party-goers was about to walk in the doors and really put her bartending skills to the test. In they stumbled and she didn’t bat an eye – greeting them all with her million dollar smile, welcoming charm, and 20 vodka sodas. Eric and his friends immediately knew that This Must Be the Place. Eric didn’t play a single game of bocce with his friends that night, being much happier to spend the entire time across the bar from Morgan. They exchanged debaucherous stories, their shared love of skiing and the Patriots, and eventually their phone numbers. Fast forward almost 8 months and a few dates later, Morgan was in need of a ski buddy for a weekend trip out to Colorado and luckily enough for Eric, he was her first thought. They travelled out to Copper Mountain and skied their booties off on the first day. Waking up for the second day, those booties and legs of theirs were begging them to stick to the groomers! Eric, in his infinite wisdom, pointed at a particularly black diamond-laden area of the mountain and said, “I’m sure there will be a groomed run over there!” There was not, in fact, a groomed run over there. There were instead two options – an incredibly steep run with large moguls, or a very steep run with gigantic moguls. But once again, Morgan didn’t bat an eye and followed Eric down. And that’s the story of how Morgan tore her ACL and meniscus (and skied the entire day after doing so). After coming back home and scheduling her surgery, Eric offered to take on the role of a live-in nurse during Morgan’s recovery. Morgan (and Luna) gladly accepted Eric’s offer and they lived together for the next month, sharing laughs, tears, and everything in between. It wasn’t said at the time, but all three of them knew that this was the start of Morgan & Eric’s happily ever after tale.