It all kicked off in the grand year of 2016. Alyssa was hitting the books and getting ready for her sophomore year at American University in Washington, DC. Meanwhile, Eric had just wrapped up his community college saga in Maryland and was the new transfer kid on the block at AU. He first heard the name "Alyssa" when he bumped into her bestie, April, in the halls of McDowell, their home and dorm for that year. The mere mention of Alyssa gave Eric his first taste of those college butterflies. Fast forward a few days, and Alyssa moved into her dorm with April, which just so happened to be on the same floor as Eric. Talk about destiny! That very night, fate threw them both into the same party. Amidst the red cups and college anthems, Eric and Alyssa exchanged what might be the most epic "hello" in college party history.

As the saga continued, Eric and Alyssa’s bond went from “just friends” to “are you sure you’re just friends?”. But with each battling their own challenges, they weren’t quite ready to dive into relationship territory. In a plot twist worthy of a rom-com, in 2018, after many shared adventures and emotional roller coasters, they struck a quirky pact: no dating others, but also... not dating each other. Yes, you read that right—a relationship limbo that had all their friends face-palming. Both knew that if they ever decided to take the plunge, it would be the real deal. That summer, the duo ended up in Marshfield, Massachusetts. While Alyssa and Eric went for a beach walk, the two friends finally agreed to date. And after Eric found a humble abode in Connecticut to start his next adventure getting a PhD at UConn, the two agreed to try this daunting task of long-distance.

Eric started his PhD in August 2018, moving from DC to Connecticut while Alyssa stayed in DC to finish her time at AU. From that point on, their love story played out across various zip codes. From Washington DC to Willington to Marshfield to Willimantic to Norwood to West Hartford, Eric and Alyssa spent countless hours in cars and on buses traveling to each other and listening to what seemed like every episode of every podcast. Alyssa even brought an Art Class assignment to Connecticut one weekend so the pair could at least be together while they spent the weekend doing homework (shoutout to the statisticians that helped finish that painting 😀). After almost three years of FaceTimes and weekend drives to spend too few hours together, the pair were finally able to end up in the same state and moved in together. Framingham was where they first had a home together, and will always hold a special place in their hearts. It was the perfect go-between for where life had taken them (Eric will tell you that the punchline of this joke is that Framingham was 75 mins from UConn but only 20 mins from Alyssa’s job in Marlborough). Going from living states away to a 550 sq. foot apartment had its own unique challenges. But looking back, they both agree that living there taught them how to communicate better and resolve problems. With that much space, everything had to be worked out. And long distance was finally over! This journey taught the couple that sometimes, the longest routes lead to the best destinations. After another move to Somerville, MA, the pair adopted two of the cutest cats ever and their little family grew to four. Alyssa and Eric quickly took on the role of crazy cat parents to Monte and Maurice, and these cats have all the toys and all the snuggles they could possibly want (and some they probably don’t want. Alyssa and Eric are pretty overbearing parents).

Alyssa will tell you that she had a feeling that Eric was going to propose that day, but the truth is she was totally shocked when he pulled out a ring and got down on one knee at the top of the Prudential Center on February 24, 2024. Eric and Alyssa’s mom, Michelle, had concocted a plan and kept the proposal a surprise by making it seem like a birthday present for Eric. So when the three went up to the top of the Pru that morning with Anthony, Eric’s brother, Alyssa was pretty sure she knew how the rest of the day was going to go. Little did she know that Eric had planned a whole day of celebrating with their closest people. It’s true that Alyssa didn’t say “yes” right away, but she was too excited to remember that there was any sort of script to follow! And after almost 6 years of dating, a beautiful little family, and countless discussions about spending their lives together, she will tell you that the “yes” was strongly implied.

After they get married on March 22, 2025, Alyssa and Eric are going to Greece for their honeymoon! Through it all, they've been each other’s rock and biggest cheerleader. They’re excited to keep walking through life together and taking on every curveball that life throws at them. Here’s to many more adventures.