The Story

 

Our story started with teamwork,
which grew into friendship,
which became love.

PUB

No, we didn’t meet on bar stools sharing an Irish whiskey; instead we met through a club at Rochester Institute of Technology. We both studied in the School of Print Media under a degree program called Graphic Media Publishing (think technology and business behind printing and publishing) where a club called PUB introduced us. The group is a project-based club focusing on learning through projects that are larger than what a classroom experience could undertake. It was working on large tasks on PUB projects such as Community Darkroom and the school calendar that Katharine and I first met.

Ohio

The summer after we became friends, Katharine completed a co-op with Cox Media, publisher of the Dayton Daily News, at a state of the art newspaper production facility in Dayton, Ohio. A true sign of our friendship was helping Katharine move from Rochester to Ohio in the high heat of summer and still remaining friends. What we discovered in the following weeks and months was a new area for both of us to explore together. We had many great weekends exploring Cleveland, Cincinnati, hot air balloon festivals, and local parks and farms in the southern Ohio region. It was through that exploration of dirt roads and forest paths that we got to know each other setting the frame of our relationship atop our existing foundation of genuine friendship. By the end of the summer we were in love.

The Flower City

Rochester, New York was the backdrop to our relationship during Katharine’s last year at RIT. The Flower City’s top rated arts, unique local wine country, and beautiful natural scenery were influences on our early relationship. From weekend day trips to Niagara escarpment and finger lakes region wineries to afternoons at Letchworth State park, our final year together at RIT was mixed with dates that wove together our mutual interests. From the Lilac Festival activities to Sunday breakfast at Highland Park diner to finger licking meals at Sticky Lips BBQ to the infamous “Garbage Plate” the odd and charming tapestry of RIT and Rochester experiences entertained us and reinforced our mutual interests. Katharine graduated in 2007 and we embarked on the long distance relationship for the next year. After planning our weekends around my academic schedule we finally moved in together in Stamford, Connecticut in 2008.