Narrator: How long does it take for two people to realize they are meant for each other after they first met?

Betsy: Welllllll When Brian and I first started dating, my mother would frequently remind me of the fact Brian was the kid who intensely broke his leg from a swinging accident. While I don’t have my first memories of Bri being wheeled around the neighborhood in a red wagon while healing from said terrible accident, my mother sure does. So really, our story begins right around the time when she met Brian - nearly 27 years ago - when she brought the Ringel family over dinner while he healed. 

For those that might not know our full story, Brian and I grew up in the same hometown - the beautiful city of Memphis, Tennessee. In fact, we were born at the same hospital 14 months a part in East Memphis and our childhood homes were practically walking distance from one another. We shared the same synagogue, most of the same friends, basically the same street. Our days as young Jewish kids in Memphis essentially looked the same - going to Temple for school, JCC summer camp, BBYO youth group, teaching Sunday school, and spending countless hours with all the friends we’ve always considered family. While we definitely hung out a bunch (and I made super cute appearances in two of Brian’s Facebook profile pictures during this time), we lost touch when we headed off for college.

Narrator: Right around 2012-13, right?

Brian: That’s correct! We completely lost touch by the time we were both in college. I’m not sure Betsy knew I was repping the maize and blue in Ann Arbor, though I did know she was at the University of  Vermont. But later on in our college years, in the summer of 2015, we returned back to Memphis for a summer internship program where the universe was probably yelling at us “COME ON ALREADY” but, alas, we did not have that magical connection then.

Narrator: Look, I’m just the narrator, but this doesn’t sound very promising. 

Betsy: No, it doesn’t. BUT fast forward 5 years of post-college young-adult soul searching and you’ll find us (and yourself) in the middle of a full-blown global pandemic. While Brian and I hadn’t spoken since 2015, we had the same thought to abandon our apartments (Boston and New York City, respectively) and head back home to Memphis to live with our parents.

A few weeks into lockdown, Brian and I were both on walks in the neighborhood - we talked (yelled) from one side of the street to the other at the corner of Massey Road and Corsica. It was brief and we went our separate ways. I remained home in Memphis, eventually settling down in an apartment downtown, while Brian hiked, roadtripped, and skied out west for 8 months before returning to New York in Brooklyn. The universe tried testing out the waters again but… to no success.

Narrator: …

Brian: In November 2021, I came back home to Memphis for Thanksgiving week and headed over to our friends’ Sarah and Alex Alpert’s infamous Friendsgiving celebration, naturally showing up fashionably late, with Bets already at the table enjoying dinner. 

Betsy: I remember Brian walking in wearing a white sweatshirt and carrying a Kroger meat and cheese platter. While I thought it was an interesting food choice to bring late to a dinner party, I let it slide after realizing how cute Brian looked.

We spent the evening catching up on what we’ve been up to, bonded over Memphis basketball and shared music tastes, and even made a plan to see a show that coming Sunday with a group of friends. Days later, Brian asked me if I still wanted to go - I said yes and offered him a ride because I thought it was nice and, well, I also thought he was cute. Brian and I showed up to the venue expecting to run into friends and no one was there. One friend had bailed and the band was running late due to bad weather.

Narrator: Go on…

Brian: We ended up having two hours of uninterrupted time to have deeper conversations about our shared love of music and our dreams for the future. What seemed at first like a group outing to a concert, had now turned into a full-fledged accidental first date. We sensed chemistry with one another and had a gut-feeling that there might be a future.

Narrator: Now we’re talking. And then you started dating from there right?

Betsy: Not exactly. Brian returned to New York while we started talking nonstop. About 6 weeks later, a well-timed hernia diagnosis and eventual surgery forced Brian to have an extended stay in Memphis through the 2nd half of the winter, giving us the opportunity to spend more time together and go on a few actual dates.

Brian: I could tell it was getting more serious, but it didn’t truly hit me until she brought me cookies right after my surgery.

Narrator: Oh wow. Game over. 

Betsy: Almost! It actually took an amazing trip up the Pacific Coast of California for us to make things official. I made an uncharacteristically decisive choice to join Brian in Brooklyn. We spent a few years in the Big Apple loving life while resetting our career journeys – I went back to school for Interior Design while Brian got his MBA.

It took us a bit of time, but we finally figured out our next step.

Narrator: A proposal?

Brian: Deciding to move to Los Angeles, actually.

Narrator: Ahhhh.

Betsy: Followed by him proposing two weeks later!!! It was almost 3 years to the day when we first reconnected. Bri asked me to marry him under the big trees at my childhood home. It was perfectly sentimental and thoughtful in every way.

Brian: And she said yes! Talking through our story makes it feel it all began so long ago, which in some ways is true. But it’s only just the beginning.