Maura grew up in Holden, Massachusetts and Joe in the neighboring town of Rutland. Despite their childhood homes being just 5 minutes down the road from one another, they hadn't met until their freshman year at Wachusett Regional High School in gym class. Like all the best relationships, theirs's started as friends...until Joe asked Maura to be his catch partner during the baseball portion of gym class that spring. She said "sure", based on their mutual love for Harry Potter. Maura's natural athletic abilities proceeded to win over Joe's heart, and the rest is history. Dating throughout their high school years, the two attended many sporting events together, a prom and even managed to win homecoming king and queen together one year. Their fondest memories from this time were simple and sweet- sharing pints of Ben and Jerry's and pizza from Toula's in the Oliva's living room, and summertime visits to Maura's favorite place, Misquamicut, Rhode Island.

Their high school relationship had run its course, and each went their separate ways- Maura to The University of Massachusetts for nursing and Joe to Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to become a pharmacist. They remained friends and would occasionally catch up. During Maura's senior year, Joe visited friends in Amherst, and Maura met up with some of her former high school classmates at the bar to see Joe. That night, their mutual friend Ryan Haddad looked at them and shouted, "You guys are wasting everyone's time. We all know it should be you two together." To which Maura quickly replied, "We're just friends!" But that didn't stop Joe from shooting his shot later than night. As the bar closed and Joe's friends took the last bus home, Maura was walking home when she heard footsteps running up behind her. Joe had gotten off the bus at the last minute, and caught up to Maura just to tell her - "I agree with Ryan, it should be us." Unfortunately since the timing wasn't right, Maura didn't agree since she was about to move to Nashville for her first job as a nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

A year and a half later, Joe reached out to Maura and asked if she would be interested in catching up over dinner while he was in Nashville for a residency interview. They met at a burger shack in the Gulch before Maura's shift started that night, but she was nervous. The tables had turned and Maura was hopeful that Joe was still single, but that wasn't the case. Instead, two great friends simply enjoyed dinner and catching up on an exciting year in both their lives. After residency interviews Joe matched at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill (GO HEELS!) and moved south where he went on to meet some of his greatest friends. At the same time Maura left Nashville and traveled further west where she fell in love with the mountains and friends she made in Seattle, Washington. Despite living across the country from each other, they still maintained a friendship.

The next few years Maura explored the Pacific Northwest hiking mountains, paddle boarding on the lakes and most importantly...raising her black lab and soul dog, Manny. Joe was working hard at UNC Medical Center, while also having the time of his life enjoying everything the "Old North State" had to offer. Shortly before graduating from his residency Joe brought home his newest and goofiest friend- his chocolate lab, Blue, who has been Joe's greatest four-legged friend ever since. Their next stop was Atlanta, Georgia for Joe's first job as a pharmacist where he would continue to meet great friends.

When the news that their mutual friends Casey and Joe Zottoli were engaged, Maura and Joe reached out to each other to talk about their excitement to celebrate Joe and Casey, and see each other again after a few years. One day Maura asked for a "pupdate" on Blue and how Joe was liking Atlanta. In his response he mentioned he was single and Maura decided now she had to shoot HER shot. She was pleasantly surprised when she was met half way by Joe. A few days later she woke up to Joe facetiming her. They stayed on the phone for over 5 hours sharing stories and laughing. They began talking more, sending each other music and planning trips to visit each other.

On another facetime call, Joe told Maura his mom called her "his lobster"- a 'Friends' reference meaning they were mated for life. In 1 month, they were heading home for their friends wedding and planned a "date day", starting with breakfast and ending with dinner. Being together again seemed effortless and natural. That night Joe asked Maura for the second and final time if she would be his girlfriend. The answer was an easy one- YES.

They spent a year dating long distance from Seattle to Atlanta until Maura and Manny made the move east to live with Joe and Blue. Atlanta became their first home together, where Joe got on one knee and asked Maura to marry him. Soon after, Joe and Maura would make the move back home to Massachusetts to be closer their families. This is just the beginning of their adventure and they are excited to celebrate the highs, weather every storm, and continuing to make memories together.