How we met...
Our journey began at precisely 8pm on January 27, 2009. That was when we each signed onto our computers to take the online test for Jeopardy! In March, we each were asked to an in-person audition in DC in late May.
Audition day came around, and in a basement room at the St. Regis Hotel, we took a written test and had a group conversation with the producers. When the contestant coordinators asked who’d traveled the furthest to come to the interview, Stacy mentioned she had just finished law school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (Emily went to U of M for undergraduate studies). During the contestant interview portion of the audition, Stacy said that she would soon start work at Bread for the City (Emily's favorite DC-based charity!).
I really want to be friends with this girl, thought Emily.
When the audition ended, Emily followed Stacy to the elevator and introduced herself as a member of the board for the University of Michigan Alumni Association's DC chapter. "Drop me an email when you get to town," Emily said, handing Stacy a hastily scribbled note with her name and email address.
Stacy went back to Michigan, took the bar exam, and then moved to DC. By then, she'd lost Emily's note. Unbeknownst to us, in December we both received calls from Jeopardy! inviting us to come out to California to for a taping in January 2010.
Jeopardy! tapes five shows in one day, so there are about 15 contestants that show up for any given day of taping. Everyone meets in a parking garage on the Sony Pictures Studios lot and is quickly whisked over to the sound stage where Jeopardy! is taped. When Emily stepped off the elevator, she saw the group of contestants for that day's taping standing around...including the girl from the audition in DC.
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| Stacy getting her make-up done at Jeopardy! |
We ended up sitting next to each other as other people played, and eating lunch together during a break in the taping. Then it was back to the soundstage for a quick touch-up of makeup and more buzzer practice. Before we knew it, we’d been picked to play against each other (and some guy named Manny) and Johnny Gilbert was announcing "This... Is... Jeopardy! Today's contestants are a climate scientist, originally from Troy, Michigan, Emily Cloyd... a public interest lawyer, from Washington, DC, Stacy Braverman..."
At one point during a one of the breaks, Stacy turned to Emily to demonstrate how badly her hands were shaking - although it must have been good for her buzzer skills, since Stacy ended up the runaway winner of the game! Back in the Green Room before the next show was taped, the two discussed plans for a joint viewing party, which could benefit Bread for the City. Emily handed off her contact information to Stacy and watched the last show of the day (Stacy came in second) before they each headed home to DC.
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| Wolverines at the viewing party |
This time around, Stacy didn't lose Emily's contact information. As party planning progressed, we conversed via email - first about logistics of the party itself, but later about what (if anything) we'd told friends and family about our appearance on the show, our fear of seeing the "chit-chat" session with Alex Trebek broadcast on national television (he'd asked Emily if global warming was real and guessed at Stacy's weight), and what post-J! life was like. By the time the party rolled around on March 30, and our friends from Smith, Michigan, and DC were gathered, it seemed that a friendship might be blossoming.
Post-party, we went berry-picking, ate ice cream, watched Washington Nationals games, visited gardens, discussed our shared interest in country music, and generally got to know each other better. Eventually, Stacy decided to ask Emily out, figuring anyone who got as excited as she did about owning an Oxford English Dictionary would probably be a great companion. Emily, who’d been trying to summon up the courage to move the relationship to the next level ever since catching sight of Stacy's library volunteer plaque (she’d even bought a dress with a first date in mind!), said yes.
The dating scene(s)...
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| Hiking on Sugarloaf Mountain |
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| Biking around DC on Capital Bikeshare |
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| Checking out the Watson presentation at the Science and Engineering Festival |
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Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge
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| Outside of the Today Show studio |
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| Making a Peeps diorama celebrating Ken Jennings vs. Watson vs. Brad Rutter match on Jeopardy! |
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| On our way to Meredith & Dave's wedding |
The proposal(s)...
One night in May 2011, as Stacy was eating a post-jiu-jitsu bowl of pasta, Emily suggested they register as domestic partners, and then eventually plan a wedding and get married (DC offers both partnerships and marriages for same- and opposite-sex couples). Emily had been very sick earlier in the month, and having Stacy by her side in urgent care made her realize how important it was to have their relationship legally recognized, so they could always be there for each other. Stacy said yes, but noted that she’d had a plan for proposing to Emily, and it didn’t involve wearing sweaty workout gear!
Fast-forward to July. We were headed up to Pennsylvania to visit Emily's friend Melissa, who was on a trip to the East Coast with her family. Stacy suggested stopping by the McKee-Beshers wildlife preserve along the way, since it has giant fields of sunflowers, which are Emily’s favorite. Emily, unsurprisingly, agreed. After wandering through the sunflowers for a while and taking photos of some of her favorites, Emily started to walk toward another section of the field. Stacy, however, had a different plan. When Emily turned to talk with Stacy, she found the latter down on one knee, ring box in hand. Now, we’re here!
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| Engaged! |
One night in May 2011, as Stacy was eating a post-jiu-jitsu bowl of pasta, Emily suggested they register as domestic partners, and then eventually plan a wedding and get married (DC offers both partnerships and marriages for same- and opposite-sex couples). Emily had been very sick earlier in the month, and having Stacy by her side in urgent care made her realize how important it was to have their relationship legally recognized, so they could always be there for each other. Stacy said yes, but noted that she’d had a plan for proposing to Emily, and it didn’t involve wearing sweaty workout gear! 
