We met at the wedding of our mutual friends, Chris and Kim Wodeshick, on June 10, 2023 in Fairport, NY. One of their good friends, Erin Parnapy, introduced Jeff and I during the reception, and the rest is history! After almost a year of dating and driving 5 hours back and forth between Pittsburgh and Syracuse, we decided to settle down in Victor, NY after Jeff accepted a new position with his current firm. We ended up moving only 8 short minutes away from where we met :)

On October 6, 2024, Jeff and I ventured onto our first cruise. Our itinerary included leaving from Cape Liberty Port in New Jersey, stopping at Cape Canaveral, and then making stops in the Bahamas at Cococay and Nassau. The night before leaving, we received an email informing us that our entire itinerary had changed due to an incoming hurricane. We were now going to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and Labadee, Haiti. Although it wasn't the itinerary we anticipated, we still wanted to go on an adventure. After leaving port, we enjoyed all of the amenities the ship had to offer for the first two days. On the second night, October 7, we were getting all dressed up for formal night, then planned to head to a nice dinner. Before leaving for dinner, Jeff asked me to join him out on our balcony to watch the sunset. Before I knew it, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. We celebrated the rest of the night with a nice dinner, a few formal night pictures, and some celebratory drinks. When we got to the Dominican Republic, we had so much fun exploring the island on an amazing ATV tour. After returning to the ship, our captain informed us that Hurricane Milton had unpredictably doubled in speed and there would no longer be a stop in Haiti the the next day, as we needed to try and get ahead of the hurricane. Before we knew it, the ship was swaying back and forth, strong winds came in, and we were right smack in the middle of the hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean. We found ways to have fun and make the most of it by going to shows, enjoying some good food, and exploring the ship. Needless to say, we made it back safely and ENGAGED, which is all that really matters. It was definitely an unforgettable experience in more ways than one, but I couldn't be happier to be marrying my best friend.