Though it’s hard to tell exactly when Cathy and Mike met, there is one night in particular that begins their story. Cathy wearing floral pants and Mike wearing a fun shirt, the F-themed party was the last of James Madison University’s school year in 2016. After exchanging phone numbers, the two had connected over discovering they grew up only 45 minutes apart from each other. That summer, they also found out that they had both grown up spending much of their time at the same lake, Lake Wallenpaupack. From then on, Cathy and Mike would often see each other, between the same friends, being tour guides at JMU, and even living two doors apart. While Mike graduated from JMU in 2018 and moved to Richmond, Virginia to work as a firefighter, Cathy was at JMU finishing up her undergrad and beginning her Masters. Cathy and Mike first saw each other again in August of 2020 when Cathy had moved to Richmond for a teaching job. When the two bonded over their love for Guy Fieri, Mike asked Cathy to try a Guy Fieri approved restaurant in Richmond. Was it a date? Neither one knew how the other felt until their plans changed into dinner plans at En Su Boca. Later, Cathy and Mike decided it was definitely a date since they had dinner together. The two began officially dating in November of 2020 and the rest is history! After almost two and a half years of dating, Mike brought Cathy back to JMU to propose on the Kissing Rock. It is commonly known at JMU that if you kiss on the Kissing Rock, you’ll be together forever and the common tour guide saying is, “Don’t kiss on the rock if you can’t afford the rock.” As they stood on top of the rock, Mike looked at Cathy and asked, "Are you ready?" to which she replied, "For what?" Mike got down on one knee and said, "Will you marry me?" After the quickest "Yes!" both of their families walked up the sidewalk to celebrate. Cathy and Mike are now planning their wedding to celebrate with their friends and family on March 9, 2024, the same day as Cathy's parents' anniversary.