Mark was smitten by Elena’s seemingly adventurous spirit (she had a picture on a kayak). Elena was captivated by Mark’s impressive jawline and affinity for apple orchards. After chit-chatting for a few days about coffee, NYC living, and cats vs. dogs, they decided to meet at a Lower East Side wine bar, Jadis. Countless cups of coffee, three great years in NYC plus a recent move to Philly, the acquisition of the cutest, sweetest enormously fuzzy Golden Retriever, Waffles, and numerous wine and jazz bar dates later, here they are (with you!).

The houses at Gun Lake were built over 100 years ago by Elena's great-grandmother, Marion De Vel, and Marion's in-laws, with little change at the property since. Elena’s grandparents, Lou and Frank Muller, always brought their children to Gun Lake (including Elena’s father Rob who grew up visiting Gun Lake every summer). Tradition has continued through the generations—the houses are largely the same, with fun and family time at the center of every visit, whether a short weekend or a months-long stay. Visits to Gun Lake are centered around relaxing mornings on the dock, hikes on Long Lake trail, kayak and canoe adventures, waterskiing, paddle-boarding, cooking experiments, memorable family dinners, lots of reading, jig-saw puzzles, paint by numbers, sitting by the fire (in colder climes) and of course, many naps (sometimes a few a day for some family members and friends). Five generations of dogs have also run and paddled around Gun Lake, just like the humans. Now that one of the original houses has been winterized, we can go to our happy place all year long. Elena’s earliest memories are at Gun Lake, where she has been every summer since she was a baby. The only exception is the summer of 1996, when her little sister, Marion (Mar to most), was selfishly born, requiring everyone to stay home and attend to her infantile needs rather than have fun at Gun Lake (Elena, and her older brother, Ben, still resent Marion for this). Since Mark’s first visit during the summer of 2018, Elena and Mark have spent countless days and nights enjoying Gun Lake together, with family (and doggies) at their side. And Mark proposed to Elena at the end of the dock!