Thursday, September 21st, 2023, was our 5 year anniversary, and we celebrated by seeing Shucked on Broadway and then eating way too much at Jacob's Pickles afterward. I thought the celebrations had concluded, but then I woke up on Saturday, September 23 to Stevie giving me a hand-written clue to a scavenger hunt that he had prepared for me! The first clue took us to one of our favorite neighborhood spots--Harlem Public. When we arrived at Harlem Public, our friend Julia was there, and I was very excited about the coincidence (looking back, I can't believe I was so naive!). As we finished up, Stevie gave me the next clue and told me that Julia would drive us to our next spot, which was Tiki Chick-- another favorite spot that Stevie and I frequent. It was super rainy that day, so I was happy to not trek on the subway. My best friend Caitlyn was waiting at Tiki Chick with our next clue! We enjoyed a very delicious donut breakfast sandwich together and then I inquisitively declared that the next clue would take us to Broadway Dance Center-- but we were in jeans and sweaters with no LaDucas in sight. We headed in the direction of BDC where my friends Carli and Tanner were waiting with my next clue, taking us to the Moynihan Train Hall (and I was getting even more confused!). At the Moynihan, our bestie and roommate Alyssa was waiting with a clue that said we'd be having a game night at our apartment. Once we got back to the apartment (thanks to Julia who had been chauffeuring us all day), Stevie blindfolded me and walked me into the living room. It wasn't until this moment that I was skeptical! When he took the blindfold off, I gasped. Our living room was completely transformed-- twinkle lights, flowers, and candles made the space intimate and romantic. Stevie grabbed my hands and spoke to me with tears in his eyes. He knelt down on one knee and popped the question, and I said yes. After hugging and holding each other tightly, he said "come out!" and our friends that we saw along the way on the scavenger hunt all came out to celebrate! I was so excited to see them, but then Stevie said "wait, there's more!" and BOTH OF OUR FAMILIES CAME OUT! Our families traveled to be there for our special moment and I was overwhelmed with joy. I cried when I hugged my mom, dad, and Grandma Sharon, and then cried some more when I hugged Stevie's mom, Juan, and sisters Bianca and Yoxly. I was so grateful that all of my favorite people in the whole world were standing in my living room (or on facetime like my sister Cassidy was!) and sharing this moment with Stevie and me. We finished our celebrations with dinner at Carmine's. I still look back on this day and smile!