For those of you who know Sean well, you know he's not a hiker. Not an outdoorsy man, really. However, to make the love of his life (Amy) happy, he was willing to trek three hours up and down Brace Mountain during their Memorial Day weekend getaway in the Hudson Valley. For those of you who know Amy well, you know she loves surprises. But she also loves guessing what those surprises are ahead of time. She had an itty bitty inkling that Sean might use this hike to propose because mountains are cool, nature is pretty, etc., and, importantly, they had just bought an engagement ring together. And so, Sean and Amy trudged up the mountain. They stopped at a waterfall to take pictures, and Amy thought, "Maybe this is it?" It was beautiful and could have made for an excellent proposal spot. But Sean just took his pictures and kept hiking. They got to the top, admired the views, ate a lil' picnic lunch, and watched some hang-gliders getting ready to throw themselves off the side of the mountain before starting the hike back down. "Surely, if he's going to propose, it'd be now," Amy thought. But no. Sean said nothing. He put his stinky sneakers back on, swung his backpack onto his back, and began the walk back to the trailhead, leaving Amy in suspense. Amy wasn't disappointed. Just confused. Maybe she misread the whole situation. Maybe he's proposing on their three-year anniversary in five days? Sean and Amy hiked for a few minutes -- down some rocks and around a bend -- when Sean stopped abruptly. "Already?!" Amy shouted impatiently. You see, as a less-than-avid hiker, Sean had requested many (many) breaks on the way up the mountain, but surely he could last at least 15 minutes without a break, right? But Sean had something else in mind. He reached into his crossbody bag and dropped down onto one knee. He pulled out that very special ring that they had picked out together and said the magic words, "Will you marry me?" Amy said "yes," of course. And from that moment on, Sean and Amy were ex-boyfriend & ex-girlfriend <3 (i.e., fiances). (It turns out, Sean had been planning on proposing at the top of the mountain, but the hang-gliders were killing the vibe. Amy later agreed that Sean had made the right choice.) We would be delighted to have you at our wedding on July 26, 2026 when we get to officially say "yes" to each other again and become ex-fiances <3 (i.e., husband and wife).

(Note: some creative liberties have been taken in the telling of this story.) On a cold and merciless winter night in December 2023, a lonely little cat was spotted roaming about somewhere in New York City. She had a thick coat of white fur with bits of black that made it look like she was wearing a helmet and pants, but even that wasn't enough to keep her warm. A mysterious and benevolent stranger saw her wandering around, looking for a safe place to spend the night, and offered her refuge in his shed. He left a trail of food to lead her inside, and she gobbled each and every piece he offered before resting her head to sleep on an old towel the stranger had left for her. The stranger returned the next day, and the cat was still there. In the daylight, the stranger saw that she was in poor shape: her fur was dirty, her ribs were on full display, and she was missing half of an ear. And so, with pity in his heart, the stranger let her stay. He returned again the following day, and she was still there. Day after day, the cat remained. After a week, it became abundantly clear to the stranger that this little cat had no intention of leaving. And so the stranger swooped her up, tossed her into the basket on the back of his moped, and told her, "we're going for a ride." The cat obliged. This is when, my dear reader, it became apparent that this cat was no ordinary cat. Around the same time, Amy and Sean had made the decision to begin growing their little family. (Yes, cats are children, too. No, this is not an impromptu pregnancy announcement.) After an exciting day of engagement ring shopping, they thought, "What better way to celebrate our upcoming engagement than to get a cat, too?" And so, Amy and Sean took the subway from Brooklyn to the animal shelter in Manhattan to take a look at what they had in stock. They looked at some cats and said "hi" to others, but only one truly stood out amongst the rest. When the shelter volunteer opened up the cage, a little white cat with a black helmet and pants stirred from her slumber. She perked up her head, gave herself a big stretch, and walked over to the end of the cage. Amy hesitantly offered her hand to the cat, so that the cat could sniff her, but the cat full-on head-butted her hand instead. Sean pressed in and scratched her little head, and the cat purred with delight. That's when Sean looked at Amy, and Amy looked at Sean, and they knew she was the one. Amy and Sean named the cat Sushi. Why? Because Sean refused to name her Moo Moo like Amy wanted, and Sushi is a good cat name anyways. Don't think about it too hard. Anyways, on the way home, Amy--the resident cat expert--explained to Sean that Sushi might hide from them for a few days, and it could take weeks before she really warmed up to them. When the three musketeers got home, Amy and Sean placed Sushi and her carrier down on the floor and sat on the ground with treats, ready to lure her out. Sean carefully opened the carrier. One moment passed. Two moments passed. Three moments. Sushi leapt out of carrier, landed next to Amy, and immediately curled up directly in her lap. She gobbled up the treat and purred and purred and purred. Sushi rubbed her head against Amy's chest, and Amy just looked at Sean in shock. This was no ordinary cat. After a little while, Sushi pranced over to Sean and climbed up on his lap, rubbing her little Sushi face against his beard. Her love and affection radiated. And thus, the magical power of Sushi cuddles were brought into the Parisi-Pass home. (Disclosure: Although Sushi's cuddles and her little Sushi pants haven't lost their charm, our Sweet Sushi Palooshi has developed a bit of a 'tude. Why? Well, last summer, her parents brought a crazy man (kitten) named Raggy (short for Crab Rangoon) home, and Sushi was forced to accept him as her new younger brother. She loves him, but her patience is limited, and -- like most younger brothers -- he came ready to test those limits. She barks now.)