Danielle and Joe met while they were both working at OTB. They had been working there long before they met but it wasn’t until they worked together in Freeport that they became friendly. They were talking often and eventually Joe asked Danielle out on a date. Their first date was 9/2/10. Between dinner, mini golf and hanging out at the boardwalk at Long Beach, it was an amazing first date. Nine days later, they made it official when Joe sent Danielle a dozen roses while she was working at the Race Palace and asked her to be his girlfriend. They soon found out that their grandmas (who had since passed before they met) used to work together and were friends. Joe’s sister, Jenn, used to work with Danielle’s mom, Iris. It was obvious to everyone that this truly was a match made in heaven!

Joe grew up with cats. Danielle grew up with dogs. This all changed when they met. Joe was immediately part of the family with all five of Danielle’s dogs. At the same time, Danielle fell in love with Joe’s kitties, especially Sprinkles. On March 6th, 2012, they were running errands and decided to stop at Subway for lunch. Next door to Subway was a puppy store. In there, they found their “son,” Chubbs. When they moved out in November 2013, they soon realized Chubbs needed a friend. In July 2014, they adopted a kitten and named her Khaleesi after Danielle’s favorite character on Game of Thrones. In 2015, they expanded their family and brought Lola into their home. Lola had lived with the Abruzzo’s her whole life but was not getting along with their little dog anymore so Danielle and Joe were happy to have her. But, no one was happier than Chubbs. He had loved Lola since he was a little baby. Lola soon became Khaleesi’s best friend too! They loved napping and chasing each other. In March 2018, they learned Lola had an aggressive type of cancer. They were completely heartbroken. Danielle didn’t give up. She tried to give Lola the best life she could for the time she had left. Unfortunately, on July 27th, 2018, Lola passed away peacefully at home with her mommy by her side. She is sorely missed by all. Anyone who knows Joe and Danielle knows how much they love their furbabies. It’s especially obvious by their Save the Date pictures!

Danielle and Joe share a love for the New York Mets. This is the third year in a row they have season tickets to Citifield. They traveled to Spring Training in Port St. Lucie, FL a couple years back (which was definitely on the bucket list), where they met Danielle's brother, Dave, who lives down there. Last year they traveled to Boston to join the 7 Line Army cheer on the Mets against the Red Sox. In that same week, they made a road trip and followed the Mets to Philly, In that week, they saw the Mets play three different teams in three different cities. They hope to get to see the Mets in the World Series this year. LET'S GO METS!