Mike and Alyssa met in Buffalo shortly before he left for medical school. Two weeks to be exact. After 6 months of keeping in touch online, Mike returned for a much needed winter break. The two saw each other a lot over the holidays and finally THE conversation was prompted by a loving uncle, "So how long have you guys been dating?" An ice breaker to say the least, but it was a much needed nudge. The two started dating on Christmas, which was followed by a visit in June from Alyssa to Dominica (where Mike was in medical school). A second trip was made to the Caribbean with family in August. Fast forward to Mike deciding where to go for clinical rotations and finding out it was NYC. Together they moved to Queens, NY and endured tiny apartment living and the hustle and bustle of NYC. Next up, was Match Day where a single email would send them somewhere else in the country within 30 days! They were ecstatic to find out that they were heading to the Nation's Capital, Washington DC. Here they built a home together and acquired their son, Vinny. After 5 years of dating, both domestic and abroad, Mike popped the question in front of the Darwin-Martin house in Buffalo and Alyssa said, "Yes!".