It all began during our freshman year at Bates College in 2015. Our paths first crossed in Smith Middle, an on-campus dorm, thanks to a little serendipity and mutual friends. Emily lived just upstairs from some of Brendan’s teammates, but it was Kylie Martin—Emily’s close friend since high school—who helped make the connection. Kylie happened to live on the same floor as Brendan and his teammate, Alex Simon. This perfect mix of proximity and shared friends naturally brought our two groups together. By February of freshman year, Brendan had gathered the courage for an attempt to express his feelings, wanting to be more than friends. After a series of infamous conversations in Hedge 106—a classroom on campus—he finally shared how he actually felt. It wasn't until March 18th, 2016, as Emily studied for midterms on a late Friday night, that she told Brendan she was open to trying whatever "this" was. And as they say, the rest is history!

Our time at Bates was filled with adventures and unforgettable memories. Brendan, busy with baseball, kept a packed schedule, while Emily was usually studying. During our first couple of years, we had plenty of Bobcat Den Dates, summer meetups for Flatbread pizza and ice cream in Portsmouth, NH (our halfway point), and countless Red Sox games—including our favorite, Big Papi’s final game. Junior year brought an exciting twist, with both of us studying abroad: Emily at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and Brendan in Florence, Italy. Despite the distance, we met up several times to travel across Europe together. We celebrated with friends at Oktoberfest in Munich, went exploring in Paris, and soaked up the sun in Greece. We made the most of senior year back at Bates, cherishing every moment, and both graduated in 2019. After graduation, we both landed in Boston, where we've been ever since. Since then, the adventure hasn’t slowed down—though COVID briefly hit pause on things. Emily has tackled five marathons, with the most recent taking Brendan and friends Erin, Mike, and Ashley all the way to Berlin to cheer her on — including Oktoberfest Round 2. Meanwhile, Brendan has continued to dream of perfecting his golf game (but failing to do so), with aspirations of retiring to a life on the links as soon as possible. And now, a new chapter is on the horizon: a big move to Chicago in Spring 2025! We’re so excited to start this next adventure together, and we can’t wait to celebrate with all of you.