HOW WE MET 2010 Sharon and Mike dropped Marissa off on her first day of freshman year at Indiana University - and of course her first stop after that was a party! Little did she know, she would meet her now fiancé, best friend, dog dad, and partner, Lester, that very night. THE PROPOSAL 2019 It’s hard to surprise someone you’ve been with for 9 years, but when Marissa says she had no idea that Lester was going to propose as the sun rose over Lake Michigan at 6am on Saturday, August 10, 2019, she really means it! She should have been suspicious when Lester asked her to go watch the sunrise - what a romantic activity for a random weekend morning. But it was a month before her sister Jillian’s wedding so a proposal didn’t even cross her mind. Lester will tell you that every time Marissa complained about having to wake up early, it aged him 5 years. Sun rises, Lester drops down on a knee, Marissa immediately says “yes” after asking “OMG IS THIS IT?!”. Tears, hugs, lots of FaceTimes once it was past 8am, Au Cheval for dinner, and fireworks at Navy Pier rounded out the most perfect day. Fun Fact: When Marissa and Lester called her parents to tell them the good news, they learned that August 10th was the same day Sharon and Mike got engaged, 37 years earlier. It must be good luck :) THE WAITING GAME 2020 - 2021 After postponing the wedding a full year, getting our puppy Ruffles, and spending 1.5+ years both working remotely in our 1 bedroom apartment in Chicago, we love each other even more! Our silver lining is that we were able to experience new adventures like a cross country road trip from Chicago to LA, living in California for 2 months, vacationing in Wisconsin, having countless FaceTime and Zoom calls with all of you, and perfecting homemade pasta. We’ve been waiting 11 years and are so ready to get married. We cannot wait to dance the night away and continue celebrating all of life's milestones as we embark on our next chapter.