Missy and Joe met freshman year at Penn State in the Hub Auditorium when their group of mutual friends were going to buy tickets for the Olympic Gymnastics show at the BJC. They were introduced by Missy's high school friend, Matt Masarik (thanks, Matt!). Joe and Matt lived on the same floor freshman year. Missy and Joe instantly connected over their hometown, Pittsburgh, their affinity for Pittsburgh sports teams, and WPIAL soccer. From there, their friendship grew throughout college. Penn State is still a big part of their lives, and it's only fitting that it brought them together. WE ARE.

Missy and Joe finally started the "dating thing" once Missy had graduated and Joe finished his final year at Penn State. In the early months of dating, Missy had an opportunity to move to St. Louis for her career, which would then mean that they would be long distance. Joe was excited and supportive, even though that meant it would be harder on their early relationship. From there, Missy knew she had a keeper. Joe then moved to New Orleans to start his career at Shell.

The early years of their relationship were spent exploring new cities and meeting new friends. Some of their favorite places and memories together were Jive N' Whale/SqWires/McGurks in STL, Elizabeths/Maison/Bayou Beer Garden in Nola, and Walter's/View House/Lola's in Denver. They definitely racked up the airline miles, but the weekends spent together were worth it. Although those years were hard at times, it was worth it. They learned a lot about each other and remained supportive in each other's careers. Finally, the Universe decided that 5 years of long distance was enough, and they both found career opportunities in Pittsburgh at the same time.

It was a beautiful fall night in Pittsburgh and both Joe and Missy's families were gathered for the monthly Ripepi Winery happy hour. Missy did not expect anything out of the norm- it was normal for Joe's grandparents and parents to be there as well, as our families have gotten close with one another. A couple hours into the night, everyone was inside the winery, enjoying their wine, and Joe asked Missy if they could take a walk outside because he was getting hot inside. Missy agreed, not thinking much of anything, and they started to walk toward the vineyard. At this point, it was pitch black outside, but as they started moving closer to the vineyard, Missy noticed some lights buried in the vines. As they got closer, Missy noticed the most beautiful setup - looked like a scene out of "The Bachelor". There was a table set for two, surrounded with dozens of candles, and a bottle of Ripepi Red on the table. At THAT point Missy knew what was coming and couldn't be more excited. Joe got down on one knee and asked Missy the easiest question she's every answered. After the proposal, Joe and Missy went back to the winery where their family was ready to celebrate with lots of champagne!