Christina and Marshall met up for a beautiful waterfront dinner at Ampersea in Fells Point, MD. In good form, Christina was 15 minutes late and Marshall was sweating about possibly losing their waterfront table reservation for fireworks, but the fates were on their side that evening. What was expected to be a routine first date quickly evolved into something much more promising. A few hours into dinner after discussions of shared interests in food, traveling and summertime hobbies, Marshall was feeling like things were going pretty well…at least up until two of Christina’s friends walked up to the table. Marshall, being the good man he is, kindly agreed to let her friends to join for drinks and a front row seat to the July 4th spectacle, which led to a fun night out in Fells Point with the group after the fireworks show. The next day, Marshall left for Europe for three weeks. Despite the distance and difference in time zones, he and Christina texted regularly and continued to connect at a deeper level, setting the foundation for what neither of them might have expected at the time--true love and a lifelong partnership.

After two years with Christina, Marshall knew he had found the one. It was late summer of 2024 and he had the ring--it was time to pop the question... The weekend after Labor Day, Christina had an Optometry work conference scheduled down in Ocean City, MD. Knowing that they'd have a special day at the beach together the Friday before the conference and she'd be excited to show off her new hardware to her friends/co-workers that weekend, Marshall decided that was the day. He also knew he wanted to propose as early in the day as possible so they could celebrate and enjoy the time together. For those of you who know Christina, she is not a morning person. She awoke at the crack of dawn that Friday morning to find Marshall urgently staging their belongings by the door and looking awfully well dressed for only a drive to the beach, but was too delirious to be suspicious of anything. Marshall finished packing up the car and was making some coffee in the kitchen when he asked Christina if she had room in her bag for one more item. Christina responded "what is it?" and Marshall did not respond, nervously waiting in the kitchen on one knee. Unbeknownst to him, Christina was in the bathroom taking off her nailpolish--something they laughed about later. After what felt like a lifetime, Christina walked into the kitchen to a heartfelt proposal from Marshall, and was so caught off guard that she actually responded "What the helllll?" Fortunately she said yes shortly afterwards, setting the stage for an amazing weekend together down in Ocean City!

After their engagement, Christina and Marshall talked often about getting a dog. Christina envisioned a big dog that she could be active and take on hiking adventures, while Marshall, having grown up with big crazy Labradors his whole life, was ready for a smaller more manageable pup. They started looking at different breeds in spring of 2025 and ended up somewhere in the middle, deciding on a miniature Bernedoodle. Kenji is too smart for his own good, so photogenic he makes his parents look bad in most pictures, and is a huge Dodgers fan. Over the past 8 months he has brought so much joy/fun to our lives and we look forward to many fun adventures together.