Our Story
Beginnings
2016 was a memorable year for Yeny, for it was then when she packed
her bags for the eighth time in her life, moving from Ithaca in
upstate New York to Port Washington, Long Island. As part of settling
in, she spent her first few weekends in the area visiting friends.
That same year was memorable for Calvin as well. He had just come back
from a road trip including nearly the entire length of the Pacific
Coast Highway, and he and his friends at work had just completed a
grueling project completed in just four months.
Yeny
"During my second weekend in the area, I met up with friends in New
York City. It was from them that I learned about the app, Coffee Meets
Bagel. I never heard about it before in my life, but after getting
back, I gave it a try. The next day, at noon, the app gave me a list
of potential suitors, and Calvin was one of several people on the
list."
Calvin
"One of my friends from work recommended Coffee Meets Bagel. It was a
crazy busy year, and dating was really the last thing on my mind.
However, my teammates were there to encourage me to continue living by
our team motto: 'Try anything once.' So that's exactly what I ended up
doing. I ended up virtually meeting Yeny after just two weeks on the
app."
First Date
After less than a week of conversation, Calvin asked Yeny whether she
was interested in meeting up, and the two arranged to meet at the
Bosphorus Cafe Grill in Port Washington, NY, near Yeny's workplace.
Yeny
"He was super early, maybe the only time that he has been early in the
history of our dating life. The first thing on my mind was that he was
so thin that we would make the perfect number 10. To be honest, I
can't remember much about it anymore. I just remembered his laughs."
Calvin
"I had an unusually strong feeling inside of me that I had to work to
not screw up this particular first date, so I ran out of church in
Manhattan and drove out to Port Washington, 4 1/2 hours before our
scheduled meeting time. I too don't remember much of our first date,
but the one thing I will never forget is her smile, a smile that
continues to captivate me to this day."
A Relationship Blossoms
In the many weeks and months that ensued after their first meeting,
both Yeny and Calvin became quite familiar with the LIRR, PATH, New
York City Subway, George Washington Bridge, Throgs Neck Bridge, and,
of course, the less than ideal traffic conditions on the Cross Bronx
and Long Island Expressways. Even so, the thirty-mile distance with
the metropolis of New York City in between did not deter the two from
developing their relationship. After just four weeks of dating, the
two began talking every night via Skype, a ritual that continues to
this day. They became "official" just a week later.
Yeny
"As with many people, our journey was not entirely smooth, between
Jersey and Long Island; both of us had to stretch ourselves and spend
more time on the road to visit each other. But with him, I finally
realize what it means to be the one for someone else."
Calvin
"What she said, except there were times when I wished we could fly a
helicopter instead of moving inches per minute on the friggin LIE.
Just kidding; the roughly twice-per-week commute became second nature
to both of us, and I'd even say that it actually drew us closer
together."
Here and There
Yeny and Calvin both had a love for travel, food, and the outdoors.
With Yeny having just moved to the area, there were plenty of new and
renewed experiences to be had. During a span of over two years, the
two have explored sights ranging from regional favorites such as Bear
Mountain, the Delaware Water Gap, Upstate New York, and Montauk to
more exotic destinations such as California, Texas, Rhode Island,
Florida, Australia, and of course Yeny's home country, Indonesia.
Yeny
"Apart from both of us adoring hiking, traveling, and going to
hole-in-the-wall types of eateries, sometimes I think that both of us
are just two simple people; we enjoy the simple moments in life. We
are happy when we know other people are happy, and we are happy when
we just do silly things together."
Calvin
"Yup, having a lot in common really cultivated our relationship. I was
especially happy to hear that she was a seasoned day hiker. With Yeny,
things have been not just simple, but I've felt a peace I have never
felt in my life prior to our relationship."
Engagement
On June 9, 2018, Calvin attempted to kidnap Yeny under the guise of
surprising her for her birthday. On the way, they stopped at Target
and Home Depot to run a couple of innocuous errands, with Calvin
thinking that it might distract Yeny from deducing the ultimate
destination. The two finally made it to Montauk at 5:00 PM that day.
After a light snack, Calvin led Yeny down straight to the beach to a
secluded location and got down on one knee.
There was not much time to celebrate, however, because the timing of
course did not work out as well as Calvin hoped it would. Calvin had
booked dinner reservations at the Preston House one hour away in
Riverhead, at 6:30 PM. But it turned out not to be a problem; the
restaurant gracefully accepted a rescheduled time for 7:30 PM.
😊
Yeny
"Knowing that we've talked about marriage and gone ring shopping
together, I got the hint. He kept saying that he wanted to celebrate
my birthday, but that was a month ago. When I was about to slip on my
heels, he said that this trip would involve some kind of hiking, so I
should wear comfortable shoes. I initially thought that we were going
to the city, maybe a park somewhere, but he took I-495 Eastbound... oh
gosh, I was hoping that it would not be a mall in Westbury or
something..."
Calvin
"Ugh, I was terribly nervous that day, and I knew that I've never been
a good liar. Part of me held on to the belief that Yeny would actually
believe that we were out celebrating her birthday. Well, I thought, at
least she didn't know our ultimate destination. Montauk was a special
place for us; I took her there during our fourth date. I knew that
Montauk, in a way, reminded her of home, being right at the water."
love 
