Nicole & Anthony officially met at a "going away party" that Anthony hosted for himself days before leaving for his freshmen year of college at his parents house in August of 2012. Nicole accompanied a few of her high school friends that coincidentally happened to be part of Anthony's childhood friend group. In the midst of the summer night air, the red solo cups, classic high school party games and the soundtrack that mostly featured the band Creed, the two were able to connect for a conversation that would ultimately redirect both of their lives. The "going away" party encounter was the spark that fueled years of a long distance relationship. Three days later, Anthony packed his things and headed up North to attend Hobart College in Geneva, NY. Nicole, on the other hand, trekked in the opposite direction spending her 1st semester at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. After a few months of talking, the at the time "teenagers," committed to each other and dove head first into a long distance relationship. By the second semester Nicole ended her tenure as a USC student and took her talents to Philadelphia, PA. Over the course of the next three years the two would trade weekends traveling 275 miles each way up route 81 to spend time with one another and deepen their relationship. Unfortunately, as you could imagine the distance amongst other logistical challenges forced the both of them to part ways in the summer of 2015. Nicole continued her education earning a Masters Degree and starting a career in Mental Health Counseling while remaining a native to the City of "Brotherly Love". Anthony, on the other hand, bounced around jobs and ended up uprooting the life he knew to soul search in the Rocky Mountains of Utah for an extended period of time. Years of radio silence with the occasional text message exchange ensued, until both of them were able to reconnect at 8th Street Tavern in Hoboken during a summer night in June of 2021. Shortly after, the years that they spent apart turned to minutes as Nicole accompanied Anthony to his brothers wedding in July. From there... well you know the rest. Our story in an untraditional story. A wild story. A story of perseverance and patience. A story of freedom and fate. As they say "if you love something, let it go; and if that something returns then it shall be yours forever.” The script engraving on Nicole's engagement ring encapsulates this story in its entirety as the words read.. "it was always you".