It was the start of the Fall 2013 semester at Penn State and Melissa just joined the PRISM lab, where she met Sean. (It is also where she met her bridesmaid Kayla the next year!) It was not "love at first sight." There are debates about when Sean and Melissa actually first met but it was through the research lab that they became acquaintances. At some point, there was a conversation about Burn Notice in the Thomas building before a class (most likely a science class). Melissa and Sean began meeting up to study and do homework together on campus. On one of those homework nights, it became clear that Melissa was not feeling well. Even though she was stubborn, Melissa eventually let Sean take her car and drive her to the hospital. Slowly, they moved from acquaintances to good friends, introducing each other to their friend groups.

In the months that followed the sickness that plagued Melissa, came the start of a healthy friendship. Melissa who had only previously worked at football games, finally got to watch one from the student section with Sean, the master of tailgating. It looked like a snow globe that day with a biting wind. All of their friends had made fun of a freezing Melissa for bringing her Penn State blanket. By half-time, Sean's other friends had left and both Sean and Kulish were huddled with Melissa under the blanket. By the end of the school year, Sean and Melissa spent time together nearly every day. They had adventures at Kildare's, suit up Fridays at PRISM lab meetings, and had regular lunches in the HUB. They became close friends and confidants, even offering each other advice on other love interests.

Melissa was proud to watch Sean graduate from Penn State in May 2014. Even though Melissa was not set to graduate until December of that year, Melissa and Sean took some great photos in their caps and gowns together all over the Penn State campus. Although Sean had plans to move to Mississippi for grad school at the end of the summer, Melissa and Sean decided to make the most of their time together. They passed the summer, grilling with friends by the pool, playing drunken liars dice, hanging out with friends at Cafe 210 and Kildare's Irish Pub (RIP), and hosting game nights. While not the first kiss, the most memorable kiss came on June 7, 2014. Melissa and Sean went to a Celtic festival at Tussey Mountain. They took a ride on the ski lift, flying above the festival, and shared that special moment. Although they did not want to say it yet, especially since Sean was leaving at the end of the summer, this was the day that their new relationship status became inevitable. It was not until Sean's birthday on August 1, however, that Melissa and acknowledged their relationship and decided to celebrate their relationship on June 7th every year. (Now, they have a full 48 hours from June 6th-June 7th every year, in addition to celebrating each other every day.) Of course, Sean and Melissa were the last ones to know and the reactions from friends when told they were together tended to sound like, "It's about time."

Melissa and Sean started their young relationship at a distance. Sean completed his first semester of graduate school in Mississippi, while Melissa completed her last semester of undergrad at Penn State. The distance did not stop Sean from introducing Melissa to his family at O'Brien day. They also saw Kulish again in Bethlehem at their favorite restaurant and speakeasy, The Bookstore. Melissa and Sean also spent time with Melissa's family for Thanksgiving. They also enjoyed treating themselves like a king and queen at Medieval Times, or as a young Melissa called it, "my evil times."

It's hard to sum up, the past 5 years, but we will do our best to jump through 4 of them. Together, at last, Melissa joined Sean in Mississippi in early January after graduating from Penn State and ultimately decided to attend the University of Mississippi with Sean for graduate school. Melissa and Sean were finally together again, but things were not complete until they welcomed a tiny 5lb puppy into the home. Parker, named after a character on a TV show they watched (Leverage), is now 60 lbs and rules their hearts. Over the next few years, Melissa and Sean continued their adventures. To name a few, they explored Memphis, saw the Penguins play the Sharks in the 2016 Cup Finals, attended a Penn State White Out Game, saw the Joe in Detroit, and went skiing. Melissa's family was kind enough to bring Melissa and Sean along on an amazing trip to Australia, as well. They plan to see the world together, with hopes of staying at the Dromoland Castle, the ancestral O'Brien home, in Ireland for their honeymoon. (They would love your help getting there. See more info in the registry tab.) Anyone who knows the couple, also knows they are both competitive and Sean studied deception. So, gift adventures could be epic. Melissa had a great surprise when she thought she was going to Memphis for an NBA game. Sean failed to mention they were staying overnight and going to a fancy dinner. When Melissa asked about clothes for dinner, Sean pulled an overnight bag out of the trunk. She had no idea. Melissa also surprised Sean with a fish tank. To give him the tank, she drove around town while Sean was blindfolded before pulling into PetsMart (next door to their apartment). They still have fish in the tank today. One of the greatest adventures was the celebration of Sean's birthday (and Melissa finishing her Master's). Melissa and Sean spent a week in Miami, swimming in the ocean, visiting the Fontainebleau (where part of Goldfinger was filmed), and having some delicious Cuban food.

Work took Melissa and Sean to their next chapter in Macon, Georgia, where the adventure continues today. They have joined the nearby Penn State Atlanta Alumni chapter and attend many football watch parties. They also spend time watching the local pro hockey team, the Macon Mayhem and have made many friends through both activities. The engagement happened at the Westin Hotel in Atlanta overlooking the skyline of the city. Sean had brought the ring along, thinking that if the moment were right, he'd propose. As they got to the room to unpack and relax, Melissa and Sean looked out at the view of the city they had from their room and just took a moment to reflect. For that moment, all was right in the world. They had dinner at the rotating dining room in Polaris and drinks after at the Red Booth speakeasy/cigar bar. The next morning, that moment came and Melissa said "Absolutely!" In the process of informing everyone the news about their engagement, their phones ran out of battery as they spent the rest of the day enjoying the Georgia Aquarium.