It is impossible to know exactly how impactful all the little decisions we make in life end up being. Brought together by a shared passion for helping others, Marissa and Alex found themselves on similar paths at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois. Despite having mutual interests, friends, and the same major, they did not cross paths until senior year. These two lovebirds spent years in the same building together and would later find out that they attended the same parties, but somehow never met. This would change with just a few small choices. With a little bit of luck and admitted laziness, the two waited until the last minute to register for their final class for the semester. This would finally put them together in class just in time for them to meet. It did not take long in class for them to notice each other and exchange glances, but it wasn't until a few weeks in that they finally would meet. One morning, while Marissa was running late, she contemplated stopping to get coffee on her way to work. Her job in the Sociology lab was directly behind the coffee shop that Alex worked at. These two shared walls for almost a year and had no idea. Neither Alex nor Marissa had any idea just how their life would change that day as Marissa decided to stop for a quick coffee. Alex immediately recognized Marissa from class and the two began to hit it off as he offered her free coffee. From here they began meeting before class each week to hang out in the brief period before class started. As the weeks went on, they would get to class earlier and earlier just to have more time to spend together. Those 10-15 minutes became the highlight of each other's weeks. After a little over a month, Alex finally asked Marissa on date for Valentine's Day. With all the fine dining options available in Dekalb they chose to spend it at Noodle's & Company. They had no idea that they would spend the next five Valentine's days together. The two quickly became inseparable as they spent more time with each other, met each other's friends/ families, and truly learned and appreciated who each other was. Time flew by as their family grew with Walter, Mac, and eventually Olive while Marissa worked hard to finish her Graduate Degree. They now spend their days learning, loving, and growing together and cannot wait to see what the future holds.