"Max and I first met at K college in 2012 through some mutual friends, and we also shared a couple classes together. When I think of my first interactions with Max a few come to mind... there was one instance in chemistry lab when Max fell off his chair... needless to say I was the only one still laughing long after everyone else. There were multiple occasions when we would catch each other's eye. In passing in the cafeteria, dorms and athletic center--where Max would be leaving tennis practice for the night and I was still in my fencing class. Yes that's right...fencing class...

Fast forward to 2013. As fate would have it, it was move in day and everyone's suite assignments were posted on the doors. That's when I discovered Max and I were going to be neighbors. I was quite excited about the prospects of our doors being a whopping three feet apart. Apparently so was max... a couple anonymous love poems on my suite's whiteboard sealed the deal. We started to get to know each other more and about a month later, Max and I made it official on September 28th, 2013.

We have had an amazing journey over the last decade together. Six years of long distance with our fair share of ups and downs along the way. Buying our first house, parenting our fur babies Kipling and Gimli, and bonding over our extreme love for pickleball are some of our most recent highlights. We have traveled to some incredible places over the years, including Tahiti where Max asked me to marry him on the top of Cascade de Fachoda, the tallest waterfall in the Tahiti on April 14th, 2023.

Above all we have stuck by each other's side all this time, growing closer together through many life experiences. Max provides the perfect balance to my stubborn and competitive self, and he is the most caring, supportive, and loving person I have ever met. I am beyond excited to marry Max and continue our journey through life together. I love him and his amazing family very much."

-Marisa <3

"I will never forget the first time I saw Marisa. I was an incoming freshman for the K College Men's tennis team, and we had just finished one of our first practice sessions of the year. Our training facility had some racquetball courts next to the entrance, and I was walking out I caught a glimpse of the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. She was wearing one of those silly suits used for fencing, holding a sword and massive helmet. It was quite the first impression.. It turned out that the fencing class was held in those courts at the same time as my tennis practice. I remember every time I left practice, I was always looking for her on those courts. Hilariously, my first real interaction with Marisa was in a Chem 101 lab where I somehow managed to fall out of my seat and the room was immediately filled with raucous laughter - where Marisa kept laughing long after everyone else had stopped! To be fair, it was quite funny.

As fate would have it, when I was moving into my sophomore dorm room, I saw that Marisa was going to be my neighbor. Being the silly young man I was, I would grab the whiteboard on their door and write down romantic poems that I had read online. We began speaking and hanging out and on September 28th, 2013 we became official.

Over the next 5 years, we defied the odds and made a long distance relationship work while I finished college at home and Marisa attended dental school in Florida & Pennsylvania. In 2020, we purchased a house together and our relationship grew even stronger. After 9 years together, I asked Marisa to hike up the tallest waterfall in Tahiti with me where I asked her to marry me on April 14th, 2023.

I still keep loving this woman more and more everyday, and I could not be more proud of everything she accomplished. I could speak about everything I love about Marisa forever, but she is the most loving, considerate person I know. I love so many things she does: The way she still laughs at my awful jokes, the deep belly laughs she gives me with her sense of humor, the way she gives me a hug and kiss while I am asleep when she leaves for work, the devotion to our two amazing dogs, her intensity on the pickleball court, and so much more.

I cherish everyday I get to spend with her, and like all couples we've had ups and downs but I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with her. She keeps inspiring me to be the best version of myself - and I sincerely hope that if you are reading this that you can feel what she means to me."

- Max <3