It all started thanks to a sister’s persistence. After a year of Marty’s sister, Mary, convincing Erika to give her brother a chance, the two finally met in 2018 for a first date at Brown’s in Troy. Over dinner, they bonded over their favorite superheroes—Marty picked Spider-Man and Erika picked White Canary—and the rest was history. Later that year, Erika moved to Austin, Texas, and they spent a year making long distance work: endless flights, countless FaceTime calls, and daily reminders that they couldn’t stay apart for long. Eventually, Marty made the move south, trading in New York winters for Austin sunshine (and a fair amount of barbecue and Pluckers wings). Together they discovered the joys of local hard cider, survived the infamous Texas winter storm with no heat or water for a week, and in 2021, adopted their lovable menace, Tank. Tank seemed calm and angelic at the shelter—but once he settled in, his wild side came out in full force. Despite the chaos (or maybe because of it), he completed their little family. By 2022, the three of them were ready to head home to New York. They moved in with Marty’s generous parents, saved for their dream home, and in November 2023—on Marty’s 30th birthday—he got down on one knee at their favorite bench in Thacher Park and asked Erika to marry him. She said yes, of course! In March 2024, they bought their first home in Schenectady, where Tank now has a backyard for his zoomies and the Woodlawn Preserve just down the street. These days, you’ll find them hiking with Tank, going on adventures with their friends, playing countless games of Uno with family, and enjoying all the small moments of everyday life together. Marty’s still snapping hourly photos of Tank and keeping up with WWE, while Erika cheers on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a gin & tonic in hand. Their story is full of laughter, adventure, and love—and it’s only just beginning.