While Hollywood likes to paint the picture of love at first sight, that certainly was not the case for us! The first time we met was sometime in middle school. Neither of us remembers the exact moment; surely it was inconsequential and unremarkable. As school progressed we were in increasingly similar activities and friend groups. We both were in band and played ultimate frisbee, we spent our summers lifeguarding, and we were even in the same group for a Homecoming dance. After graduation, Doug and Brady (an important character here...) visited Mara at Allegheny College. Following that we fell out of contact for the rest of college and the years after. Doug's work took him all over the East Coast, while Mara's took her to Philadelphia. In 2017 our paths again crossed after Doug suggested meeting up with Brady. He combined that request with a plan to see Mara and Mary Parente (nee Spencer) at Mineo's Pizza in Squirrel Hill. Flash forward to a couple parties at M & M's apartment, including a New Year's Eve party, and feelings were certainly growing. Doug missed Mara's birthday party and we ended up making up for it with our "first" date on his birthday. That "first" is a tenuous one because neither one of us wanted to ruin the friendship we had. After our second (or first) date we haven't looked back. From the halls of Hampton Middle School to the walls of Elfinwild Presbyterian Church and The Priory Grand Hall, we could not have predicted how it would work out. We are excited to see what else unfolds for us, and we are so glad you are going to be a part of it!