In the fall of 2015, Kristen had just graduated high school and moved to New York City to chase her dream of becoming a professional dancer. Nick just finished his first summer out at sea and was entering his sophomore year at SUNY Maritime. After convincing of mutual friends (whom they were separately living with at the time), they agreed to meet. Leading up to meeting, Nick would call Kristen to talk on the phone after catching wind that she was nervous about their *first* date. It was actions like that from the very start that set Nick apart from other guys. On a warm September evening, Kristen had just gotten out of a rehearsal and they met up on 6th Ave. & 18th St. for a quick hello. It was the first time a hug had ever felt like that for them both. Later that evening they went to dinner in the West Village and ended the night talking on the fire escape of Kristen's apartment. After four hours talking, they both felt like they'd known each other for a lifetime. They'd found their missing puzzle piece. Fast forward to October 11th, 2015, they'd been seeing each other every weekend for three weeks, at this point. Being the romantic 19 year old that he was, Nick took Kristen to the High Line for a walk and it was there he asked her to be his girlfriend. Eight years later, the rest is history ...

In July of 2023, Nick and Kristen took a trip down to Cape May, NJ to relax and celebrate Kristen's 26th birthday. Cape May has always held such a special place in their hearts, as it's the place they both grew up vacationing with their families as kids and just never crossed paths. *Let's pause and just recognize that for ANY born and raised New Yorker to hold ANYwhere in New Jersey close to their heart, it must be a pretty special place.* On night one of their vacation, Nick made a reservation for dinner at a restaurant Kristen grew up going to with her parents and that the two had previously been for dinner almost exactly a year prior. After dinner, they strolled on the beach and curled up in a life guard chair and talked and reflected on how far they've come. After an hour of enjoying the beach, they were packing up to carry on with their night and just before they did, Nick got on one knee and it was the easiest "YES" Kristen had ever given in her life.