A & D

It all started, as most good stories do, with the matchmaking help of Jewish mothers. I was giving one of their dear friends a facial, and she mentioned how much she loved my mom and Dean’s mom and thought that we might be a good match. I am not sure if she was thinking about my future or how much fun our mothers would have together. Either way, I am glad how things have turned out, I mean, look at this website! Our first date was at Jerry’s Bar one warm August evening. What started as casual drinks turned into something that lingered. We dated here and there for a while, and eventually, Dean decided to stick around for good! Soon, Dean started taking on more responsibilities around the house. He was welcomed home with garbage ready to be taken out and a warm meal on the table (ordered by me). He started taking on more dog-dad responsibilities and, eventually, with a lot of determination and treats, gained the love of my sweet little girl, Hannah Empanada. His care and love, not just for me, but also for my little old lady, really solidified the type of man Dean is. We soon added another addition to our family. It took a lot of convincing and sad eyes from Dean, and a lot of patience and perseverance from me, but with the addition of Mr. August, our family felt complete. It may not be a calm household, but the love inside is bursting through the windows. The summers have been filled with weekend trips down the shore, sharing time between our families’ houses. The winters have been spent hunkered down inside, drinking hot chocolate and playing games with our friends. Sure, our falls and springs should be spent enjoying the outdoors, but I think we find more enjoyment sitting in front of the TV, doing whatever individual craft project we’re into at the moment, or online shopping and showing each other outfits we would like on one another. There really is someone out there for everyone.

It all started while I was hanging at a bar with friends. I received a text from my mom about a potential setup. I honestly assumed it was just another one of her ploys to get me to take a trip to Israel, so I mostly ignored the text. Then a picture came through of the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, and I figured I’d at least hear her out. Pretty quickly, a date was set. Our first date was at Jerry’s Bar in August and we sat outside. Things went well, in my opinion and in my roommate’s, who coincidentally happened to be sitting inside at the table right next to us (completely unplanned, but apparently a great people-watching night for him and his now wife). Against all odds, she agreed to a second date even though, as I would later find out, she thought I was a little odd and laughed too much at my own jokes. Soon, I met Ms. Hannah Empanada, Alli’s beautiful Puerto Rican princess of a dog. Alli told me she might be a bit older than advertised, maybe five or six years old. It was clear to me this dog was at least ten. The second time I met Hannah, Alli revised her estimate; maybe seven years old. Again, definitely at least ten. Hannah was special though. She was simple and tough to win over, but she eventually grew to like me, just as her mom did. Alli and I dated on and off for the next few months, always running into the same issue: timing. Our biggest hurdle was that Alli was traveling to Milan, Amsterdam, and other metropolitan cities around the world, collecting awards with her family. I was also doing a lot of traveling for work to similarly “metropolitan” cities like Binghamton, New York, and Aberdeen, Maryland. Sure, the Weissmans were eating at Michelin-star restaurants but you haven’t truly experienced cuisine until you’ve tried the Applebee’s off CR-64 in Elmira, New York! Eventually, I landed a job that would keep me close to home again, and we became more serious. It was finally time for her to meet my family. I decided that throwing Allison into the deep end would be the best approach, so I invited her to stay at the shore with my family for a weekend with a party thrown the first night with my family’s… enthusiastic friends. She passed with flying colors, as I knew she would. The only hiccup was my mom’s first question to her: “What is it that you truly like about my son?” Like I said, the deep end. The next day, she got me back. When I met her mom, I was greeted with a tough first question of my own: “Are you gainfully employed?” Fortunately, I was and I was able to clear that high bar. Jewish moms, am I right? From there, it’s been mostly ups, with only few downs. The road to now has made us grow stronger together. Along the way, I fell deeply in love with Alli’s true character: her steadiness, her honesty, her whimsy, her optimism, her principlism. I’ve always known she is the woman I want to partner with and love for the rest of my life, and I can’t wait to make it official.