Christine and Ian have differing opinions about this night. However, these are a few indisputable facts: We met on the Upper West Side at David and Maria's apartment. It was the Final 4, with UCLA and Gonzaga playing an intensely competitive game. Christine was having a wine night down the road with Amelia, while Ian was perched on David's couch, heavily invested in the match. Christine arrived with Amelia half way through the night. In Christine's version, she was only interested in befriending Amelia's college circle (especially David), but Ian just knew she was flirting that night. Was it really flirting, or was the wine simply flowing? We'll never know for sure!

Christine wasn't sure the first date was ever happening. Seven days had gone by since giving Ian her number and she hadn't heard from him. That's right folks, Ian got Christine's number and didn't text her for a whole week. According to him, he just "knew" they'd see each other next weekend. Christine to this day thinks he's full of it, but, Saturday night came along. And sure enough, Ian and the textless Christine were reunited. Rightfully, Christine called Ian out for not sending her a text for a whole week. Who does that? Luckily, Ian immediately asked Christine out to Hanon, a now defunct udon spot in his old neighborhood to smoothly save face. Christine, a little surprised but happily so, accepted. Little did they know how important that decision was. After initial nerves, the couple opened up and began to see how special each other were. Good noodles, laughter and a visit to a food festival were the highlights from a wonderful first date. Christine and Ian both felt the proverbial "spark" and couldn't wait to see each other again.

Ian fell fast and hard, and suggested moving in about 3 months into their relationship. Christine, being more level headed, gently tabled the topic. But you don't know how brutal the rental market in NYC was during the summer of 2022. The process of apartment hunting was a full time job. In the rental market frenzy, Christine and Ian toured countless (8) apartments all over NYC, an exhausting feat with Christine's broken foot and limited mobility, and went through the rental process for three. The second to last one they saw was a 7 story apartment in Astoria that they quickly fell in love with. Thirty minutes after the tour had finished their application was completed. Desperate to seal the deal, Christine and Ian even offered to pay an additional $50 a month above the asking price. I'm telling you, the market was that bad. They truly struck gold. Once signed, Christine sent Ian on numerous Facebook marketplace deals to furnish their new abode and officially moved in! About a month later, they applied for a domestic partnership at the county clerk's office (a line they'll need to visit again for their marriage license).

Ian knew he wanted to propose to Christine at El Matador beach in Malibu. This was the spot of their first California date, a special place to them both. Except fate had a different idea. One day about a month before the planned proposal Ethan Liebling, Ian’s younger brother, asked Ian “how his engagement to Christine was going next month”. However, Ian neglected to tell Ethan they were on speakerphone and Christine was within earshot. Convinced everything was ruined, Ian quickly began brainstorming a new proposal plan. It was so simple. He’d propose to Christine after a day long trip to the Upper West Side, the neighborhood where their relationship first began. The day started with a trip to the Hungarian Pastry Shop and H-Mart to get snacks to enjoy on Columbia University’s quad (Christine’s Alma Mater). After, they walked over to Book Culture, their favorite book shop, and took a stroll through Riverside Park. Before long, it was dinner time, and they made sure to stop at Fumo, Christine’s favorite restaurant for a delicious meal. The whole while Ian was waiting for the right moment to get down on one knee. But it never came. Not to be denied, after dinner Ian suggested a stroll through Central Park, walking on the route he used to take from his old job to Christine’s old apartment. Christine, unaware of Ian’s building nerves, agreed. The walk towards the park went quickly, and Ian grew more nervous with each step. They entered the park on the Northwest corner, slowly making their way across to the east side of Manhattan. Ian steered them along the walkways to the North Woods, coincidentally Christine’s favorite part of Central Park. They walked along a wooded path beside a river and ducked into a small nook off the main path. Christine sat down to admire the wilderness while Ian dug through his bag looking for the ring. After a few moments, he found the ring, placed his bag down, turned to Christine and got down on one knee. And the rest is history.