Leveled-up Love

Written by Cody Romano

I discovered sticky notes in my house on the evening of June 19th. A trail of notes featuring hand-drawn arrows pointed up the stairs. I tiptoed forward without having any idea where the notes were taking me. A final Sticky pointed toward my bedroom door. The door creaked as I nudged it open.

To explain what I found on the other side of the bedroom door, we have to rewind to the beginning of this story — about 8 hours earlier.

I had plans to grab breakfast with Alex, my best man. When I got into my car that morning, I spotted a plastic Super Mario star tucked into a seatbelt. A red Mario cap was perched over it. Little did I know that the star and cap foreshadowed an adventure. Over eggs and bacon, Alex handed me a manilla envelope.

It was an invitation to a Super Mario-themed scavenger hunt.

In classic Joycie fashion, the message was beautifully designed. It featured a little graphic of Toad. This first clue led me to the Facebook Office near the Space Needle where Joycie & I had our first kiss. Tiff, our mutual friend & officiant, delivered a star tin featuring the second clue.

The scavenger hunt led me to the dog park where my black Lab Emmy first encountered Momo, Joycie’s Labradoodle. My mom met me there, and our following destination was an arcade. After an action-packed Centipede showdown, I earned another Mario tin containing more instructions.

My next challenge was to win a Nerf gun battle. Jacquie, Joycie’s sister, waited in a park holding a toy firearm. She wore a black suit and sunglasses. I managed to sneak up from behind and shout, “Freeze!” A pure James Bond moment. My defeated opponent revealed a final piece of intel: the address to a party.

Now back to the Stickies.

When I returned home to get ready for the party, I followed a trail of Stickies to the bedroom. Joycie had bought me several outfits — button-down shirts, pants, and shoes — for a special occasion. A Sticky on the mirror read, “You look great.”

For the party, Joycie rented the backroom of a bar in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, the location of our first date. Dozens of friends and family members dropped in to enjoy conversation, delicious burgers, and Marzipan cake. Golden balloons were strung across the ceiling to spell “JOYCO.”

Those of you who know Joycie aren’t surprised. This is one of her superpowers: imagining unforgettable social experiences and bringing them to life through creative planning.

At last, I completed the Super Mario scavenger hunt. There were no coins, but I unlocked a gold ring when Joycie proposed back to me before the party. Wahoo!