Marie & Brian

Like all good stories, our story begins in tropics, specifically in Belize. (Some individuals may point out that we both attended William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA and even lived in the same freshman dormitory. To this point, while we lived in the same building, we had never officially met each other). Fast forward to the summer of 2007 when we both signed up to participate in a service trip over winter break. The destination would be Belize and our group would be helping local doctors set up triage clinics. Our friendship had the potential to start earlier, however Brian was frequently "busy" during our monthly group meetings and would only occasionally make an appearance.

Upon landing in Belize in December, it did not take long to start up a conversation. Our first night there, almost serendipitously, we sat next to each other for dinner. Thereafter, we spent time talking at the clinic pharmacy, discussing the finer points of iced oatmeal cookies, and even sneaking off to enjoy a New Year's beverage. The topic of the first kiss is a contentious one. Ask Brian and he will say that Marie initially turned a cheek at his first attempt, only to later reconsider. Marie disputes this fact and argues that she was taken off guard but never doubted it for a split second. The trip culminated in a very memorable sunset sailing excursion (the pic shown here) that included beautiful stars, ceviche, and someone falling off the boat (thankfully not one of us). We returned to the USA a couple.

Following graduation from William and Mary, our paths took us to very different geographic locations. Brian continued on to Philadelphia to begin medical school at Jefferson Medical College, Marie went to Boston to continue her education, initially at Harvard, and then to Boston University (where she is today, finishing her medical degree). These years were challenging, given both the distance between us (thank you Chinatown bus) and how busy each of us was pursuing both of our training. However, we continued to grow closer and deepen our relationship and made every effort to see each other as often as possible.

Nearing the end of his medical education, Brian finally got his act together and realized how important Marie was to him and how much of a team they had become over the years, supporting each other through the challenging times and celebrating the good ones. After weeks of research, Brian had finally decided on a ring and had received the blessing of Marie's parents. After playing multiple scenarios through his head (and even having an unknowing Marie and the ring in the same room at the same time on numerous occasions) he had finally decided that he would seize upon what appeared to be the "perfect storm" of events. On the last weekend of May 2012 Brian was in Cape Cod at a friend's wedding, while Marie's apartment in Boston was empty (she was in New York at a graduation, her roommate, Taylor, was likewise out of town). Brian hurried back from the wedding and went to work, crafting a multi-course wine and culinary tour-de-force. At the culmination of dinner, during the dessert course he had Marie close her eyes (telling her he had picked something up for her while he was out earlier that day, but hadn’t had a chance to wrap it) and when she opened them, he was down on one knee, ring in hand. Thankfully, she immediately said yes, and the rest is history. After enjoying a two-year engagement, we are heading to the altar to ultimately take the next step on September 27, 2014.