Ralph Waldo Emerson left an indelible legacy on the town of Concord. A lynchpin of the American Romantic movement, an iconic transcendentalist, mentor of Henry David Thoreau, and of course the namesake for the legendary Emerson Field in the middle of Concord Center. Home to many a baseball championship, a child’s first swim lesson, or a casual dog walk; It was also a place where rambunctious Concord co-eds would gather in the early Aughts, a time before snapchat and other social media facilitated interaction between the sexes. And it was at this very field that Rob and Jessica met for the first time in summer 2006. Rob didn’t talk much - as was not unusual behavior for the shy young lad - but he did laugh at all of Jessica’s jokes, which earned him a special place in her heart early on. As a hot summer faded into a crisp New England Fall, Rob and Jessica were reunited in Coach Capone’s Sophomore gym class, where Rob brought his all-boys middle school energy to every class, vanquishing any man woman or child who got in the way of his torpedo-like dodgeball throws, Jessica included; and Jessica brought a talent for evading any consequences for consistently arriving 10 minutes late by performing cartwheels in front of the entire class. Rob and Jessica’s friendship grew stronger over the years as Jessica hosted SafeRides at her home every weekend to help adolescent party-goers get rides home safe after late night high school gatherings, and Rob was quick to lend his 11mpg Hummer H2 to support the cause under the occasional circumstances that he was not actually the one throwing the party. Throughout the course of Senior Year the line between friendship and “something more” began to blur, but culminated in a failure by Rob – which to this day he will never live down – to invite Jessica to Senior Prom. In an arguably reckless hail mary attempt to win her back that Summer, Rob asked Jessica to be his girlfriend, but after consulting with her most trusted relationship advisor (her mom), Jessica decided to politely decline. And so it seemed that the ember – that had subtly burned beneath the surface for three long years but never fully ignited – would at last turn to dust. But a friendship did endure. Rob and Jessica checked in on each other often during their college years, sharing stories of tequila-fueled bartop dance parties and Rob’s alarmingly growing rapsheet; and even re-uniting for a weekend in Oxford, Ohio. After college the two went, again, in dramatically different directions. Jessica to the bright lights of New York City and Rob to reformed Mob Town of Providence, Rhode Island. However, the two never seemed to go too long without somehow re-connecting, and even became pen pals for a period of time, which started when Rob inexplicitly responded to Jessica’s “thank you” letter with a “your welcome” letter for her NYC Half-Marathon Fundraiser After 13 years of friendship the stars finally aligned. Rob and Jessica both moved back to Boston at the same time, and Rob mustered up the courage to ask her on a date. Only problem was that Jessica was completely unaware that the Brunch at Lincoln Tavern actually was a date. It was only after devouring half of Rob’s Short Rib Poutine - as the two filled each other in on the last 10 years of their lives - that she began to realize that the sparks were beginning to fly, and a 2pm brunch between two old friends extended into a 2-person dance-party late-night at The Grand. And the rest, as they say, was history. After a summer filled with trips to Nantucket, hiking excursions up Mt. Monadnock and boat-rides down the Concord River, Rob found himself in Papa-Razzi asking Jess’ Mom and Grandfather for permission to marry their magnificent daughter/grand-daughter. And now, 2 ½ years after our engagement, we are so excited to gather with all our friends and family to come together and celebrate a lifetime of love and happiness.