Softball, Margaritas and a trip to the Jersey Shore.

Kara and Ryan met in 2016, when Kara was invited to play softball for Ryan’s office softball team shortly after moving to New York City. Kara’s friend asked if she would be interested in playing because, as all co-ed sports team members know, they desperately needed girls to play. Ryan would say Kara first caught his eye when, during their first game together at McLaughlin Park, she snatched a well-hit ground ball at second base and easily dispatched the runner at first. That initial interest was cemented when she walloped a solid double off of the outfield fence her first time at the plate. This girl was cute, funny and she could PLAY. Kara remembers Ryan immediately introducing himself after the game on the walk to O’Keefe’s (a downtown Brooklyn institution) for post game drinks to celebrate a team win. She thought he was charming, charismatic, and genuine.

A couple of months into the season, Ryan and Kara would have their first date. Kara, impatient as usual, would not wait to be asked; instead inviting Ryan to Manhattan to grab a drink (more specifically, a margarita) the day after the fourth of July. Ryan was returning from an hours-long interview with some hedge fund in Connecticut earlier that day (which was an absolute disaster), and was more than relieved to see Kara walk into the bar that evening. They would both tell you that a first date never really felt like a first, and from that moment they both knew: this could be the start of something special.

On that very same night, Ryan would ask Kara to join him on a weekend trip to a beach house he and his good friends had rented in Belmar, New Jersey for the summer. Those of you not from the tri-state area might be familiar with this setting from MTV's hit show 'Jersey Shore.’ There is only one rule there for the summer - "Never fall in love at the Jersey Shore" - and that rule was broken in the summer of 2016.

Music, Love and new friends in the desert.

In the Spring of 2017, Ryan and Kara would attend (and camp at) Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California. Kara had previously attended with her roommates while living in DC, but this would be Ryan’s first-time.

Though Kara had tried to explain what awaited him, Ryan could not imagine the group that would be brought together for this journey that April. They arrived to join a caravan of 10 cars. By the end of the first day, the group campsite would include a 30 foot canopy, complete with working disco ball. What better way to get to know an entirely new group of people than a big team project!

Ryan, an experienced camper, had come prepared with the necessary gear. Unfortunately, nothing can prepare you for the scorching desert heat that wakes you up each morning at 7 am. Similarly, nothing could prepare Ryan & Kara for the way this experience would strengthen their bond–the music, the laughter, and the memories. Kara and Ryan truly saw each other in these moments on the polo grounds. Ryan was welcomed with open arms, and everyone would tell Kara how genuine and apparent their connection was.

The following years of Coachella would see them realize they were just too old to sleep on the ground anymore, opting for a rental house with AC, beds, running water, and a pool. Ryan even rented a bright yellow convertible for the drive between Indio and LA, earning himself the nickname Convertible Ryan. Some things have changed over the years, but that first year on the polo grounds will always hold a special place in their hearts. Those melodies still call up memories of those magical times spent together.

No sleep til Brooklyn.

In the summer of 2017, Kara and Ryan took the next step in their relationship and decided to move in together. With Kara living on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, and Ryan living in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, it was starting to feel like a long-distance relationship. It had been 11 months of serious dating by now, which in NYC minutes (and rent dollars), is basically a lifetime.

Kara wasn’t ready to sacrifice her commute and Ryan had no interest in Manhattan, so a compromise was made, and a lease signed. It would be in Prospect-Leffert Gardens, a historic neighborhood that borders Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Ryan took the small closet and Kara brought way too many things to squeeze into their small “two-bedroom” apartment. It was perfect - they were together. Settling into a new life and community took almost no time.

Fast forward two and a half years later. Kara and Ryan are now living in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. They found a larger apartment and were paying less rent (a true New York City miracle). Kara traded her short commute for the Dyker Heights Christmas lights, and they now had a new roommate - a large, goofy hound mix named Duke (after Kara's favorite basketball team).

Their friend, Lesley, would come to visit shortly after their move to Bay Ridge and witness the teamwork that would provide an anecdote she still tells people is the reason she knew Ryan and Kara would make it through anything. Just before her arrival, Ryan and Kara had made their first "big ticket" purchase together–a brand new couch. They moved the old couch out and down the stairs to the curb without either one of them yelling PIVOT.

When the new couch arrived…let’s just say the delivery did not go smoothly. She watched Ryan and Kara handle the situation as a team, each one helping to support the other through a stressful situation. Though a trivial situation in the grand scheme of things, (and ultimately futile as it ended up not even being the correct couch) it speaks to the way they approach their relationship: as partners.

Fast-forward through 2020 (as we all wish we actually could have done in real time) to Christmas Day. Ryan had been adamant for the last few days that he and Kara (and of course Duke) go on a walk that morning to take some "Christmas" pictures. Kara assumed he was just appeasing her, knowing her extreme love for the holiday, but when it was raining that morning, and he was still insistent - she thought…wait…could he actually be doing what she thought he was? They strolled, umbrellas in hand, down to Shore Road. Right there, in the rain, with Duke nonchalantly chewing on a stick, Ryan dropped to one knee and asked Kara to spend the rest of her life with him. As you all know by now, she enthusiastically agreed.

…and that’s how today came to be.