After college, we both found our way to Boston, MA; Earl In 2003, and Amy a few years later.
Earl chased an employment opportunity and made his way out from upstate NY. After a few months of couch hopping, he finally found a place to call home: a town house in Lynn, MA, with fellow Alfred University alums, Sharky Fitzgerald, Laura Randall, Luke Jacobs, and honorary Alfredian, Heather Wilson. Known as the reign of the "First Wife", over the next several years, Earl and Sharky would stay together through thick and thin, Somerville and then Medford, until Sharky met his future bride to be Kathleen Riley, who promptly stole him away from Earl, but not before introducing Earl to Amy one evening in late 2007 (which neither of them remember).
In 2007, Amy moved to Boston for a market research consulting position and she set out to find friends through volleyball, which is where she met Sharky and Kat. They became fast friends and eventually, Sharky invited Amy over for dinner and met his roommate, Earl, a rather unassuming guy who apparently had a dislike for homemade cookies as he would run off any time Amy would stop by to visit and offer to do some baking.
It would be years before Earl worked up the courage to ask her out...
In the fall of 2014, Earl found himself at a table on the Oddessy Cruse Ship, sitting across from Amy, who was stunning in blue, again brought together by Kathleen and Sharky for Kathleen's birthday. Lucky for Earl, the tux he had recently purchased came equipped with magical properties that embued the wearer with enough boldness to ask a lady to dance. The following weeks would be right out of a romantic comedy. Guy falls for girl, tries to make the girl jealous, fails miserably, spends the next week agonizing over what to do, then asks the girl to drive him to the DMV (it wasn't the DMV, but who cares!).
The rest was just magic. An apple orchard photo shoot led to a sunset scavenger hunt for a pair of missing sunglasses, followed by homemade apple pie, and retroactively, this would be remembered as our first date. (Let's not forget Amy becoming Facebook Engaged for 24 hrs!)
Amy and Earl spent the next 4 years growing closer through both big and small adventures. They danced to the subtle tones of a jazz pianist while the rest of the restaurant looked on. Caught killers in bars and caves, through time, and even into space, during their murder mystery costume parties. They would walk each other to work, text songs when they missed each other, and fall asleep Skyping when they were apart. These and a million other gestures let them know that they liked each other "alottle".
Earl may have been the first to say those magic words that signaled this was more than just a tryst, even if it was out of Amy's earshot. But, Amy was clearly the first to express the desire to make this for all of time when she blurted out "My future Husband! O.o... someday, maybe... possibly..." as they were walking one morning through the Boston Common. Everything quickly fell into place from there, and since, there has been no question that these two would be partners in crime for the rest of their lives.
Together, they've safaried in Africa, salsa danced in Cuba, hiked in Vermont, sailed in Istanbul, saw the stars in NY, relived family footsteps through China, became international spies in PA, skied the slopes of Tahoe, orchestrated a living room concert in Massachusetts, kicked it in Nashville, adopted a puppy in Jersy, and so much more while laughing side by side and taking ridiculous selfies.
Earl knew I loved Christmas and Christmas decorations. As Jenny likes to say, I throw up Christmas on our apartment. He set the scene with a Fire crackling on the tv (we don't have a fireplace), candles lit, Christmas carols playing in the background, and we had just baked chocolate chip cookies, so the aroma filled the air. We were hanging garland and lights when he got down behind me and simply said, "Amy, I love you. Will you marry me?" I spun around, jumping for joy, and scooped him in a huge hug as I said yes! Of course, Logan pounced over to see what the excitement was all about.