March of 2018, Joe was attending Drexel University in Philadelphia, getting his degree in Business. He had met some folks he came to be friends with while away from home at college. Elizabeth was taking a last second almost cross country trip with a friend before starting a new job that month. On part of this crazy all over trip, she took a solo nightmare 24 hour greyhound ride to Philadelphia from St Louis to visit friends of hers. Joe saw a photo of Elizabeth having arrived in Philly posted by one of her friends who he happened to also be friends with, and decided to accept an invitation to hang out. (Elizabeth doesn't know how that photo would have enticed anyone as she looked horrendously exhausted.) It was there at this hang out that they first hit it off. After a few days of getting to know each other while Elizabeth was there, they exchanged information and would continue to talk nonstop for the next two weeks after Elizabeth left. Two weeks go by and Joe and his sister travel to Orlando for vacation and Elizabeth’s cousin Emily drove her down so she could see him again, having a sort of date at Olive Garden as Joe had never been. Elizabeth even got to meet Joe’s sister back at the house after dinner. Later the two decided that night over the phone once Elizabeth got home that they would officially date! The next six months were spent long distance dating with Elizabeth flying up and taking the train into Philly to stay with Joe for a few days at a time. Then after one final trip made by Joe to Florida, and an amazing first time in 11 years birthday trip to Disney for Elizabeth late August, she moved up to live with Joe at college that September. It would be a fun set of months adventuring around Philly as a pair, and then after staying at Joe’s parents’ place for a month, they moved down to Florida officially! It’s been some great years showing Joe the ropes of Florida living, including the mildly terrifying wildlife, horrible weather, and even worse, the dreaded tourist seasons. Visiting with his family back and forth to New York for holidays, weddings, etc. And also to Orlando once his parents and aunt/cousin moved there, and growing closer every step of the way. Then in October 2023, while on a once in a lifetime trip to Italy and Greece they will never forget, traipsing around gorgeous Sicily and the surrounding towns on a Godfather tour, hiding from the rain in an adorable ceramics shop in Sorrento, and being in awe of the ruins in Athens and Pompeii, eating well in Rome and Florence, discovering ancient temples in Malta, seeing where the first Olympics took place in Olympia and being obsessed with the architecture and coastline of Mykonos, Joe proposed to Elizabeth over looking the beautiful sea in Oía Santorini, Greece! 🕊️🍋 March 25th, 2025 will be our 7 year anniversary. We couldn’t be happier (or luckier!) having spent these years living together as a team, sharing the same values and growing as people and a couple no matter what the universe has thrown at us. And we can’t wait to see what the rest of our lives have in store for us!