We met in Michael Lewis's painting class at Umaine. I was studying engineering and Ben was studying biology but we couldn't stay away from our love of art. I remember that Ben was the best painter in class and even though my paintings were pretty bad he would always walk over to my easel and praise them. One day, we were putting our art supplies in our lockers and he asked if I wanted to take a bike ride around Orono. We became fast friends from that day on and started going for 2-4 hour coffee dates- all we did was laugh! Within 2 weeks were inseperable! Something I really value about our relationship is that we have always made it a priority to support each other's individual growth. This has not always been easy because it has meant a lot of long distance. We spent the past 4 years living 5 hours apart so we could pursue our degrees. Now, finally, we are fortunate enough to start creating a life together. We couldn't be more grateful to have each other and to celebrate this special time in our lives with you!