Stephanie - "I was the popular one and he was the annoying kid. We knew of each other in school but never really hung out in the same crowd... until after graduation..." Anthony - "I was the class clown, I admit it! and she ignored me"

Stephanie - "Somehow after high school we started hanging out at his house. We called it "the base". We started with little flirty comments, mostly joking. Our friends would say things like "you two are going to end up marry!" We laughed and brushed it off, "nah that's not happening...." One day he asked me to be his girlfriend. He was shaking so much (he blamed it on an earthquake) but I thought it was the cutest thing ever. Sooo I said yes...and here we are!" Anthony - "Even my mom saw that there was more than friendship...I just laughed and said "nah we just friends." I didn't think it was possible until the red lipstick. While hanging out I mentioned a dream I had with a girl that had bright red lipstick on and I said, "Damn, she was sexy" Next day in came Stephanie, with you guessed it, bright red lipstick...I knew I was no longer in the friend zone!"

When we were just friends he pointed to a quarter machine filled with fake diamond rings and said one day he would propose to me with one of those. Thinking it was a joke, I just laughed and said "I would love that." Later he did just that, gave me a ring from a quarter machine. We thought it was funny. Fast forward four years later. Stephanie - "I thought this date was just another date but this one changed my life. He took me to the Bronx Zoo because that's one of my favorite places. I LOVE the zoo. I couldn't get why his mom kept calling, wanting to pick us up when I wasn't ready to leave. I admit, I was getting a little frustrated. I had no idea what was coming next. He told me we were meeting his parents somewhere in the zoo. As we were looking for them, I see him go toward a gum ball machine. I thought, "why would the workers leave an empty gum ball machine there...surrounded by bamboo...AT THE ZOO!" But little did I know, it was not empty! As I walked to the machine he pulled something out. His parents popped out from nowhere with cameras drawn. He got on one knee holding that beautiful ring in his hands. I didn't even let him ask me, I cried and just screamed out "YES!" Anthony - "I remember that day well, it was hot as hell and you know...the best laid plans. My mom had the job of finding the perfect place and she did, except we could not find it, so she kept calling me. "You just passed the spot!" then my phone died, I had to use Stephanie's! It would have been funny but I was so frustrated. Finally, I found the spot and went down on my knee...she said YES before I could even ask!"