Our story began in the most unexpected place - the parking lot of Dunkin' Donuts on Old Post Road in good ol' Edison, New Jersey.

If you're from Edison and you attended Edison High School anywhere from 2004 to 2012, then you know this was one of the popular places for us teenagers to hangout. If we weren't at car meets in the Pathmark parking lot, or at Menlo Mall, you'd find us at Dunkin' Donuts.

Picture this: a group of teenagers, huddled in the Dunkin' Donuts parking lot, thinking we were the coolest kids in town. We'd play football until the streetlights flickered on, we'd have epic snowball fights, vent about our latest heartbreaks, and cry over boys who were clearly not worth our tears. The air was always filled with the sound of laughter, blasting music, and the occasional ill-advised puff of a cigarette, because, let's face it, we thought we were rebels.

This wasn't just any parking lot; it was our teenage playground, a place where lifelong memories were made. 20+ years later and we still have the same tightknit group of friends from that very parking lot.

Somewhere, in the middle of this teenage parking-lot chaos, Joe and I met through one of our mutual friends. Our friendship blossomed, and eventually, after a lot of "will they, won't they" moments, we took a leap of faith and started dating. Shortly after we began dating, Joe joined the US Navy, where he served for 6-years.

Almost a year in, our young hearts struggled with the distance, and we decided that staying friends was best for the time being. As we went on to eventually date other people and navigate life’s many changes—Joe serving in the Navy, me exploring different colleges and moving to upstate New York—we remained connected, always remembering our bond. I remained really close with Joe's mom, even venting about my current relationship at that time; and I'll never forget his mom saying, "I wish you and Joe were still together." - well, that wish came true, here we are!

Joe and I reconnected over Facebook in late 2015, where we just remained really good friends, and continued hanging out. Dating Joe was not on the table for me - I friend-zoned the poor guy and he spent 6 months climbing his way out, lol. (Thank God he never gave up!)

In February 2016, we decided to give our love another shot after watching Deadpool at AMC in Menlo. But less than a week later, I hit Joe with a breakup text—big mistake! Joe was not having it, LOL. My hesitation was all about fear; I knew that if we got back together, it would be forever. Coming from a broken home, the idea of marriage terrified me. I didn't think I was good enough for this amazing guy, even though I cared for him so deeply. But thankfully, Joe never gave up on us. And now, we're writing the most beautiful chapters of our story together.

After just a few months of dating, Joe moved into my apartment in Edison, turning it into our first home together. In 2019, we took a big step and bought our first house in Freehold, NJ. Then, in 2020, we added a new member to our little family—our puppy, Theodore.

And finally, in 2022, Joe popped the question—yay!

It was the easiest YES in my life.

Our love story goes back so many years, and we are just so grateful that God made sure we crossed paths again. I couldn't picture marrying anyone else. Joe was meant for me, and I for him. And we are so excited to have our family, and best friends by our side on our biggest day.

We're finally getting married!