David & Samara met in the summer of 2011 playing softball on one of the worst fields in NYC (145th & Lenox in Harlem). Ron, a mutual friend, had started a team and they both signed up to play. After the game, Samara "followed" David as he left the game so she wouldn't have An old subway sign David found for our third anniversary, in honor of where we met.to ride the subway alone. They rode the 1 train together back downtown and started to get to know each other.

Three (long) months later (as Samara recalls)... David asked for Samara's number and scheduled their first date for October 27, 2011, strategically avoiding a conflict with the Cardinals playoff schedule. Seven days before we met, it was obvious something was missing. Samara missed our team's first game, pushing back our inevitable meeting to July 6, 2011. (June 29, 2011)However, game six was postponed due to rain and rescheduled for the same night as the fortuitous first date. David had a feeling there was something special about Samara and decided she was worth keeping the date scheduled as-is. Game six was dubbed by some as "the greatest game in the history of baseball," but David still knows he made the right choice.

November and December were filled with some of the best dates love stories (or romantic comedies) are made of -- ice skating in Central Park, NY Rangers hockey games, competitive Scrabble matches and an intimate Darius Rucker concert, We revisit our first date locale on the night of our engagement.which you could say was history in the making.

Two years later on November 9, 2013, David had a plan. After a morning charity softball game, they would revisit the Central Park ice skating rink and afterwards, while the light was still nice, they'd wander over to Gapstowe Bridge and take in the sunset over the city skyline. Then, they would return home and David would make a romantic, candlelit dinner.

Samara had other plans. She insisted we have dinner before ice skating so we didn't end up getting to the rink until 9pm. By the time we ice skated and made it to the bridge, night had fallen and we were surrounded by the eerie darkness of an empty Central Park.

Despite the curve ball, David got down on one knee and proposed to the love of his life. Samara had no idea this was about to happen (she thought there was no way he had a ring) and was completely thrown off guard. When he asked the question, she didn't say "yes". After catching her breath, she finally said, "absolutely!"