Even though Marissa grew up ~250 miles from the coast, we met and bonded over our shared love for the ocean, as Masters' students in marine biology at Northeastern University. As two (slightly older) students who had spent time in the “real world” before going back to school, we quickly gravitated toward one another. When classes finished in 2018, Brendan moved to Cape Cod to begin his shark research, while Marissa continued to live in Boston and conduct her own Masters' research surrounding the nexus between human dimensions, fisheries, and climate change. Despite the added distance, we only grew closer, and soon, we fell in love. Almost every weekend, one of us would commute the 2 hours to see each other, until May 2019, when Marissa joined Brendan down on the Cape.

While we’d already fallen for each other long ago, in Cape Cod, we both realized we’d found the one. We spent our free time walking the beaches (or just sitting on them and laughing!), hiking through the forests, and exploring the wild of the Outer Cape. Our first apartment together was a studio, ~200 sq ft, total. It was so small that we kept a storage unit nearby, not for long term storage, but even for things we’d need frequently, just maybe not every day. We both remember having to go to the storage unit for things like simply getting a jacket because it would be cold that week, and we hadn’t had the space to keep said jackets in the apartment. In those close quarters, we flourished. And as many people have told us, it was the ultimate test. If we could make it for 6 months there, we’d make it anywhere. And we have.

A little more than a year after we started living together (occupying three different residences during that time!), Brendan’s PhD goals dragged him to Virginia Tech – and given that Blacksburg, VA is about 6 hours from the ocean (seriously, who would decide to study sharks 6 hours from the ocean!), Marissa stayed behind in Massachusetts to continue pursuing her own career. Thus began the long-distance portion of our relationship. While the distance can be tough at times, Brendan likes to say that anyone who says long distance is too hard hasn’t been lucky enough to be with someone like Marissa, because loving her is the easiest thing he’s ever done, even from afar. And sure enough, even with the distance, we've only grown closer and closer.

Fast forward to October 2022, when Marissa came to visit Blacksburg in between her two-month (each!) trips to Washington and Panama where she brings new cohorts of graduate students each year. With only two weeks of seeing each other per semester, Brendan figured he better make it count. Capitalizing on our shared love for hiking, he suggested a nice hike to the top of a local mountain called Bald Knob, the highest peak in the area, on a Sunday morning. As we climbed the near-vertical hike to the top, Marissa wondered aloud more than once why we'd had to take such a steep trail, while Brendan continued to push onward, knowing his friend was already hiding in wait at the top with a camera and a bottle of champagne. Finally at the summit, Marissa walked out to the edge of the outcropping overlooking the valley and the river below, and when she turned around, Brendan was waiting on one knee, holding the wedding ring his grandmother Hildy had worn for 70 years. After a short moment of Marissa’s surprise, confusion, and disbelief (Brendan will forever remember holding the closed ring box at first, only to hear, “What is that?”, and realize he forgot to open it), Marissa said “Yes!!!!” A day that we won’t ever forget.

Though we’re still nearly 1000 miles apart for much of the year, we are so excited to officially begin our lives together and couldn’t be happier to share our wedding day with all of you! Among the many things we bond over is our deep commitment to family and friends, and you are all so important to our journey. We cannot wait to say, “I do”, and hope you’re able to join us to celebrate!