One word ~ Zoosk! Theresa joined zoosk in hopes that she would find her Last First Date. Richard joined zoosk to appease his Captain. The Zoosk Ad appears on his phone so he joins. Richard had no desire to be on any dating site but he created a profile anyway. Richard never showed up as a match on my profile so I was a bit surprised to find out that I was a match on his page. He saw my profile and sent an email. Later that night I replied. I was thrown off a bit because his profile was incomplete but I was intrigued. After a few emails, we exchanged phone numbers. It was a lot easier to text than to keep checking emails. We texted for hours on end for a week. We couldn't get enough of one another so we decided to make our first date as soon as possible. Which turned out to be my Last First Date :-)

Richard came out to meet me at an italian restaurant called Elisa's in Bellmore. He met me in the parking lot with a bouquet of roses in his hands. We were both so excited yet so nervous. Not only were we meeting for the first time but it was the first time in hearing one another's voice. We stood in the bar area waiting for our table. He looked so calm but later found out he was just as nervous. We went to our table and the date began. It was a great night! We really hit if off well. Then I got the phone call..... it was my son, "Mom we are leaving early, going tonight". He wasn't supposed to be deployed for another day. After the well wishes for my son, I broke down in tears at the table in the restaurant on our first date. Yes, Richard still called me the next day (you would think he would run after that lol)

Richard planned a beautiful romantic evening. We started by having an amazing dinner at Enzo's. At the end of dinner, he asked me to be his girlfriend (yup, I said yes!). After dinner (all smiles), we went to the Train Show at the NY Botanical Gardens. Oh What a NIGHT! We walked around a beautiful magical setting. Train sets, mini buildings and bridges replicating NY followed by Christmas decorations and music made the night so memorable. We had drinks and danced a little during a performance then went down to where the double pianist played music. We sang and laughed and had a great time. This was a spectacular night.

After being in quarantine and working side by side day in day out, we realized the strength of our relationship. One year after asking me to be his girlfriend at Enzo's, Richard proposed to me at that same restaurant. (Pssst...that's where we are having our Wedding Reception as well) Richard was ordering just about everything from the menu, from drinks to appetizers to wine to coffee. He made the night so special. He proposed at the table and gave me the most beautiful ring ever! I, of course, was in tears of happiness. The couple next to us witnessed the proposal and bought us Prosecco to toast our new beginning! After dinner, we went to the Botanical Gardens ~ And so the pattern begins, our new tradition. Due to Covid restrictions, things were a little different and smaller but that's ok...we made the best of it!