"Can I just say, you have stunning eyes" were the very first words exchanged from Nick to Laura. They met in college in a small coffee shop called Chesters. While Nick worked nights as a barista serving up your perfect caffeine-filled concoction, Laura would study in the cafes small wooden booths. Laura sat down next to Nick in one of those booths while he was talking to one of their mutual friends as a small leap of faith to meet new people. At that moment the rockstar barista and the floridan volleyball player met their best friend for life. After hitting it off instantly, they quickly became friends and got used to spending late hours on long New England drives, midnight beach strolls and climbing the colleges buildings not willing to deal with separation. It wasn't long until people started calling them each others counterpart, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. After 5 years their relationship is built on a common understanding of the importance of love in the thick and thin times, a deep desire to see each other flourish individually, and a love for a God who aligned their paths just right.

We celebrated our 5 year anniversary in Manhattan in early July. While we had some down time to explore around, our big night out was on the 2nd. Nick had planned a whole night for Laura starting with a few courses at one of the most romantic restaurants in the city (One if by land, Two if by sea) and ending with a walk down the Highline in lower Manhattan. What Laura didn't know, however, was that for the past two months Nick had also been carefully designing a ring for her with the help of a jeweler in her hometown of Stuart, FL. A ring which had been flown up to New York by her mother and sister the afternoon of the 2nd. What started as an incredible evening turned into an even better night as we were surprised by a few great friends who came over to celebrate with us on the rooftops of NYC (picture in the tab "Photos") after she said yes with a handful of pink roses and a completely shocked expression. Nick knew Laura's deep love for her family, her friends and beautiful city skylines. It could not have been any more perfect.