It is a surprise to no one that the story started on a ski mountain. Kelly had been part of a ski-house share in 2018 and, unknown to Kelly, one of Nick's childhood friends (Ben Cyr!) was also a member of the ski share. Nick had just wrapped up his audit staff travel program with GE. He was free to ski and enjoy life back in the northeast which led him to Kelly.
First, Ben introduced them and they hit it off! Everyone had just skied all day, there was a live band apres ski, so - as Nick would say - things were looking up! (Thanks Liz for making sure Kelly made it on time!) Then of course, the other shoe dropped. The ski-house landlord hit Nick's car after denying access to Olympics streaming. We should have known then it was going to be a.. bumpy.. start.
The first real date was in Chester, VT at the finest local establishment, the MacLaomainn's Scottish Pub. Nick had haggis, Kelly had some sort of cheese and onion soup. At least it was great company!
The next day, they went skiing at Okemo with Nick's family (thank you to Paul, Jeanne, Andrew & Sophia!). It was a great day, and very natural to hang with a good portion of the Ferruolo crew. If you didn't know, Nick is an excellent skier. However, as every skier knows, you should never, EVER, say "last run" out loud - its a tried and true jinx. So on the actual last run of the day, they head down a trail with some large jumps and Nick was determined to impress. In short, Nick went big.. and fell hard, which begins the saga of the torn ACL.
Even though Nick had torn his ACL, he still came to visit Kelly often both in Norwalk and in NYC. Once he had surgery, it was Kelly's turn to visit Vernon, CT. Nick was posted up and being very brave on his parents couch under the close eye of Sue and Greg. Naturally, most people meet their future husband's parents while he is laid up, on painkillers, on their couch, after 1 month, right?
Needless to say, it went swimmingly and then began the rest of the story! Nick moved to NYC. Lots of Broadway shows, family visits to the lake, beach, and pond, and train rides later, they moved in together in South Norwalk, May 2019. Luckily, with good timing and faith in their path, they were able to get used to living together prior to a global pandemic where they would, like most people, spend 24 hours a day together, watching the neighbors out the window. They would be remiss to not mention Oscar, the injured cat on a diet, to liven it all up.
Early in quarantine, they had started a lunchtime routine of walks around the neighborhood to shake a bit of the cabin fever. Come November 5, 2020 this was a well-established midday activity. This walk, in particular, had Kelly mostly focused on the upcoming kickball playoff game that night. At the park outside of their apartment, Nick was definitely not thinking about kickball.
With Oscar creeping from the window, Nick got down on one knee, presented the most sparkly diamond ring and asked Kelly to marry him. It was perfect and of course she said yes!
So that is our story in brief! If you want more, unedited, details, please feel free to ask family and friends who were there along the road (think ND football and Stamford kickball games, weddings, ski trips...). Much gratitude to each and every one of you who helped us navigate the path towards partnership and love.