Our story starts in a tiny town in the southern part of Colorado, in Alamosa, CO. We met in September of 2016, the beginning of Marissa's senior year and Nik's sophomore year of college. Once we met, we were rarely apart. From making food at Marissa's place with the other lacrosse players, to Weekends (town bar), to supporting each other on and off the softball and lacrosse field. Up until January 22, 2017, we were "just friends hanging out" but that day, Nik decided he wanted to take a chance on us and made us an official couple.

In August of 2018, Nik took a huge leap and transferred to St. Bonaventure University in Upstate New York to finish his schooling and to be apart of the Division 1 lacrosse team that was starting that year. Marissa went back to California to live with her parents and start her teaching career. While times were hard being 2,500 miles away from each other, we somehow made it work... But it was not an easy task, with numerous hours of phone calls and facetimes, to texting when we had the time, we somehow made it work.

When 2020 came around, we had some big decisions to make. Nik was going to graduate (sadly did not get the ceremony he deserved.. stupid pandemic) and Marissa was ready to be a full time couple again. So after two year apart, we made the choice that that summer, we would move and start our life away from all of our family but get to be a couple again in Olean, New York.

In July of 2022, Nik was given an amazing opportunity to become an assistant lacrosse coach at Virginia Military Institute so we jumped, left the place and the people we called home for two years and in two weeks, we were living in Virginia. Thanksgiving that year, we were able to go out camping in California and spend it with both of our families. Completely to Marissa's surprise, Nik had other plans than to just spend time with our family. On Thanksgiving Day after dinner, Nik got on one knee and asked Marissa the best question she had ever heard, "Will you marry me?".

We both know that asking our friends and family to travel across the country to celebrate us is a big ask but we want to show everyone the beautiful place we currently live and to see it the way we do. Nothing about moving multiple times, not seeing family or friends when we want has been easy, but the way we have had to grow and lean on each other the past 6 years has made it all worth it.