Welcome to the timeline of us, narrated by yours truly, Mel. Our first ever photo! But let's back up. On August 20, 2020, I met Franco for the first time. Him and his four guy roommates lived next to me and my five girl roommates. We were still in lockdown and doing classes fully through Zoom. Because of this, our house and their house got close super-fast, hosting themed parties, game nights, and just hanging out on the porch. Franco was the first to show interest, and of course, I played hard to get. We hung out mostly in group settings at first, but eventually we started to bond over running, hummus (LOL iykyk), and cooking dinner together. At this point, everyone was rooting for us, and I knew for sure that he was the one.

Peep the date! 10/25/2020 is the day we made our relationship "official" and exactly five years later on 10/25/2025, you will join us to celebrate our marriage and five-year anniversary. Fun fact, I picked the date 10/25/2025 out on the calendar as my dream wedding date only a few months into our relationship - when you know, you know.

Meeting during COVID meant spending lots of 1:1 time together, allowing us to grow super close pretty quickly. We met each others parent's within the first three months of dating, and our parents met each other only a short time after that! For me, visiting Franco's parents in FL brings up so many happy memories, as I grew up visiting my Nana and PapPap there every year. For Franco, coming to Cresson was whole new world, as he has grown up living in Switzerland, Italy, Peoria, and Fort Lauderdale, and has actually never seen a town with two stop lights.

I was in was in my master's program to become a Registered Dietitian when Franco was a senior, meaning one extra year in Pittsburgh together post my graduation in 2021! Pittsburgh will always hold a special place in our hearts. We met some of our closest friends and had the time of our lives in college. Of course, that is also where we stumbled upon each other. H2P!

Our graduation ceremonies were one day apart! Post-graduation, Franco was assigned to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, NC. We both worked some odd jobs along the way, but currently Franco works as a contracting officer on base, and I work clinically and in private practice as a Registered Dietitian.

We have bonded over so many similar interests, one of the biggest being exploring new places. We have similar bucket list goals of visiting every state and hiking every national park, and beyond that just share a huge appreciation for the outdoors.

My parents, Kim and Bill, and Franco's parents, Juan and Cecilia, are a huge part of our lives, and super supportive of our relationship. The six of us have traveled from the city to the beaches! Juan and Cecilia have joined my family in celebrating Thanksgiving in Cresson for the past two years. Franco, my parents, and I stayed at Juan and Cecilia's in Fort Lauderdale to celebrate the Fourth of July this past year as well! Franco and I are forever grateful for the relationships we share with our parents, and for the relationship our parents share with each other.

We moved into our home! We still live here in Pikeville, NC with our two boy cats, Beans and Benny. The farm fields and long back country winding roads make me feel like I'm right in PA.

After a long work week, Franco and I went for a walk in our tiny neighborhood during the sunset with an IPA, one of our favorite things to do together. To my surprise, this walk would be one that changed my life forever! I turned around after taking some pictures of the sunset to see Franco on one knee, tears in his eyes, holding the prettiest ring I could've ever imagined. (yes, I am crying as I type this)

WE RAN A MARATHON! From February 2024 to February 2025, Franco and I went all in on marathon training. This meant Saturday morning 15+ mile runs and pre-work 5:00 am speed workouts in the dark. Accomplishing this bucket list item together was incredible and brought us even closer together.

We have two children! They each have four paws. Beans & Benny are just the start of our tiny family, but for now they really do make us feel complete. They quickly became besties, and the four of us enjoy watching TV, eating popcorn, sitting at the table playing games, watching the sunset from our hammocks, and of course, sleeping in and snuggling in bed.

These days, we enjoy the simple things like weekend getaways, long runs, pickleball, sunset walks, coffee shop dates, and just spending time together.