Melissa and Thomas first met in January 2020 when she and Bella locked themselves out of their townhouse and had to crash at Noah and Thomas's house. Melissa slept on the couch, let Thomas's dog out in the morning, and made small talk with Thomas for five minutes before she and Bella headed home to meet the locksmith. Little did she know that in a few months the world would be turned upside down and Thomas would become one of a few people she spent all her time with.

That April Melissa, Bella, Noah, and Thomas became a quarantine family. They quickly acquired all the necessary gear (tents, kayaks, bikes) and began a steady routine of Goodberry's runs and weekend adventures. Throughout 2020 and 2021 Melissa and Thomas went through significant changes. They both had a stint of funemployement (thanks Covid), got new jobs, and had roommate and house changes. As they spent more time one on one together they started having feelings for each other. Everyone teased them individually about it (especially Melissa), but they denied it until they finally had their first kiss on a beach trip in July 2021. Things moved quickly from there and they went from a great friendship to an even better relationship. The last two years have been full of a lot of the same things as their year of friendship; camping, hiking, time with friends-but also lots more travel, weddings, and time with family since 2020.

Melissa and Thomas decided to take a trip to Colorado in May 2023, and on their first full day they got up early and hiked to the top of the Flatiron Mountains in Chautauqua Park. Thomas waited until it was just the two of them on the hike back down and asked Melissa to marry him. It's been a joy-filled season and we can't wait for many more years of partnership!