We met working over the summer of 2016 working as camp counselors in the Adirondacks at Camp Echo Lake in Warrensburg, NY. Marissa had just graduated from Goucher College with little planned beyond graduation and Dan was finishing up his master's degree at the University at Buffalo. We bonded over an abundance of eye-rollingly cheesy ice breaker games, gossiping about camp drama, and our love for working with kids. We quickly became inseparable and spent every free moment together. Whether it be on late nights out in Lake George, long drives to nowhere sharing our favorite songs, or staring at the moon past curfew, we were a perfect pair. Though Marissa may have still been oblivious, others quickly caught on to our budding camp romance. Marissa was excited she found a new best friend but Dan knew better and (thankfully) made his feelings known. Who said 'I love you' first is still up for debate but Dan's promise of, 'I'm going to marry you' from a quiet night on a beautiful Adirondack lake in 2016 is finally coming true.

Marissa moved to Buffalo right after camp ended to be close to Dan as he finished his Master's degree in School Counseling from the University of Buffalo. After his graduation in 2017, Dan got a job as a middle school counselor and they moved closer to his family in Albany. They made the move permanent when they purchased a house in Albany in 2020. Their beloved cats Echo & Poppy were adopted in February and August of 2020. Marissa moved to NYC to pursue grad school for Speech-Language Pathology at Hunter College in 2021 and Dan enjoyed visiting her in her tiny apartment, exploring the city together, and being able to conveniently see lots of Yankees games (don't worry, we can still convert him to a Red Sox fan once he sees Fenway Park) (dan edit - no you can't). Marissa moved back to Albany after graduating in 2023 and quickly got a job as a Speech-Language Pathologist working with pre-schoolers. Dan surprised Marissa by proposing at Marissa's family vacation spot at Popham Beach in Maine (No really, she was surprised! She was wearing sweatpants and almost walked right by him on the beach!) with the help of Marissa's family and friends on August 19th 2023. They adopted their energetic pup, Cosmo (much to the cat's dismay), in December 2023 and have been a happy family of 5 ever since. We're so excited for you all to join us as we begin the next step of our journey!