The Story of Us

One day in the Fall of 2012 at a country bar in New Jersey (yes, they do exist) called the Colorado Cafe ("CCafe" or "CC" for future reference), a country boy named Ryan attempted to learn the dance to "Moves Like Jagger."  Halfway through, he walked off the dance floor and into the sarcastic reach of a gal named Cheryl who said, "at least you gave it a try."

The two starting talking effortlessly,  making each other laugh with their shared sense of sarcasm and witty humor, talking technology, and discussing their mutual interest in country music and line dancing.  After a few spins around the dance floor, Ryan and Cheryl were hooked, and exchanged phone numbers right away.  One favorite memory of this night is Ryan showing Cheryl the ropes of East Coast Swing to the tune of "Baby Likes to Rock It"

After some quick texts, Ryan asked Cheryl to meet him for drinks and appetizers on Sunday night, the very next day.  They met, shared a few small plates and a couple of beers, discussed all the things you shouldn't discuss on a first date (politics, religion) and those you should (jobs, career aspirations, educational background, family life).

On October 12, Ryan took Cheryl out for "an adventure." This time, he pulled out almost all the stops and surprised Cheryl with a nice meal at The Grain House Restaurant, a walk to view the NYC Skyline in West Orange at the Eagle Rock Reservation, and a long, dark drive to the country to see a fantastic cover band called "Country Comfort" at a dive bar on a dark, isolated road at Bernie's Hillside in Chester, NJ.  A nice meal, a nice view, a few dances in front of a new crowd, and they were hooked on each other.

A massive hurricane hit, then a snowstorm; a few trips here and there; some loose ends to tie up, and even a minor nose injury - but every week they came back to the CCafe to dance, talk, laugh, and drink together.  Nothing got in the way of Ryan and Cheryl getting to know one another, and most importantly, nothing got in the way of their fun.

On December 12th, 2012 (12-12-12), Cheryl went over Ryan's apartment because she was bored without him at the CCafe.  They shared a few beers, played Jenga, he gave her his Giants hooded sweatshirt, and...kissed her (finally) goodbye in his driveway.

They celebrated Christmas at the CCafe and took their first pic together that night.

They celebrated New Year's Eve together at the CCafe, where after a few beers, a shot of SoCo & Lime, and a champagne toast, the two shared a kiss at midnight that kicked off 2013 on the right foot with the right person.

After exchanging a lot of IMs while at work and a few emails here and there, Cheryl emailed Ryan to ask for computer help.  On January 15th, 2013 at 3:53pm, Ryan replied to Cheryl's email and addressed her as "Dear My Beautiful Girlfriend (can I call you that? :) )"  and that made things official.

But things weren't "Facebook Official" until February 3rd, the night of the Superbowl, when, after the Ravens beat the 49ers, Ryan and Cheryl changed their Facebook statuses.

And that's how the story begins (and the third person talk ends.)

It's now four happy months later and we've decided that we're having so much fun together, we need to share our adventures and happiness with the world.  Our relationship is truly different than all others we've known, and, in such a short time, has taken us on many adventures.  We hope you enjoy seeing the world through our eyes as it has already been quite the journey paved with miles of laughs and experiences.

That is why this is called "Uniquely Us."