These are the words they said separately, yet simultaneously, to their mutual friend Erin. That’s how things were for Tim and Nicole during that brisk and lonely October. But one soon learns not to question the machinations of fate- or Erin Brady. It was Erin who invited Tim to Nicole’s Halloween party. She was the one who insisted that they just had to meet because they were “the exact same person.” And it was her who even suggested the group costume they would wear that year, characters from “the Boys”. Tim would dress as Billy Butcher and Nicole as Maeve, two characters who... Well, life doesn’t always imitate art, but sometimes it gets close. At that party fate intervened, as it so often does with the time honored tradition of the pairing partners in a game of beer pong. United for the first time, there were foes to be vanquished, hands to be held, shit to be to talked. It was like they had known each other for years. Once they were finally alone, the wheels of romance were greased by one of life’s best lubricants- Nicole’s best whiskey. Alone in the kitchen they toasted to a great night and next thing Nicole knew, Tim had pulled her in for a bold but welcomed kiss. “Hey, can I get some of that whi- nevermind.” said another friend, before realizing it was best to let this moment in history stand and make themself scarce. Cut to the next morning at the Lake Grove Diner at an event that sages and philosophers would recognize as their “first date”. It was a simple meal, a quiet one, one that left Nicole worried that she would never hear from Tim again. Alas, Tim was merely feeling the downside of too much beer pong and fine whiskey which left his tongue tied and his intestines overly lubricated. After proper hydration, he was certain he had met his dream girl. It was only a night or two later that Tim made his next bold move. He broke the conventions of the modern millennial man and called Nicole on the phone. “What man CALLS anymore!?” Nicole thought. They proceeded to talk on the phone for over an hour. They got all the deal breaker questions out of the way right out of the gate, such as: “How do ya like your steak?” “Still mooin’, baby!” She knew he was a keeper. But there was still a distance there, specifically the distance between Westchester and Long Island. Yet week after week, month after month, they put the effort in to see each other nearly every weekend. Nicole, the stubborn Scorpio that she is, refused to admit they were "dating” for months. Tim, being the Pisces that we all know him to be, took that... as well as he could. Tim eventually broke Nicole down and on January 2nd 2021, declared that they were now dating (Tim will still tell you they have been dating since November of 2020.) Since then, Tim has turned Nicole into a lover of rock climbing and an *ally* of D&D players. He moved in with Nicole and became step-catdad to Nicole’s Sphynx cat Harvey and step-roommate to Scott (Erin’s brother). Tim, self-proclaimed dog guy, couldn’t help but fall in love with Harvey (the jury is still out on Scott). And by October of 2022, Nicole had convinced Tim to become a full-blown Sphynx cat dad when they brought home their little baby, Mildred. Together, Tim and Nicole have laughed until they cried on a regular basis, tore up every single dance floor they've ever set foot on, and embarrassed every friend they've ever shared a public space with, with pride. Neither of them had ever met another person they could laugh so much with, trust so completely, and be so unapologetically themselves with, before they met each other. As Tim’s brother Matt once said: “It’s like watching a mirror dance with itself.” If you're still reading, thanks for being a part of our lives and for wanting to be a part of our love story. We can't wait to hit the open bar with you. See you on the dance floor, 10/10/24!