Our Story
With over a decade together, our story starts in the fall of 2012 in the halls of Albany Law School, and specifically the 2000 Building for those familiar. Gary and Elise were first-year law students (referred to as 1Ls). Gary, born and raised in New Jersey, made the decision to travel to the New York Capital Region to pursue a lifelong dream of being a litigator, enticed by the proximity of the law school to the Adirondacks where he spent his winters skiing at Gore Mountain and summers on Loon Lake. Elise, having grown up one hour west of Albany in Johnstown, New York, was continuing her higher education by enrolling in law school while, simultaneously, finishing a master’s program in public administration at Marist College.
As 1Ls, the 2000 Building is home to the “lawyering suites” where all first-years learned how to write legal briefs, argue persuasively, and cite to cases. It was a weekday; an otherwise unremarkable and routine morning when Gary arrived early for class. There, sitting and reading, presumably class notes, in the upstairs lounge was Elise in a white Ithaca College hoodie sweatshirt. She immediately caught Gary’s eye. Elise was in a different student section, and Gary had never seen her around campus before. But, before you assume he had the courage to talk to her, no – he walked right past her. Still, he was determined to see her again, and that next time he did, he would have a “fool proof” line to break the ice.
The weeks went by, the coursework became more intense, and Gary didn’t see her again, that was until the Halloween Dance. Dressed in 1920’s gangster attire (yes, fedora and all), Gary was hopeful Elise would be there. And she was. Elise, fittingly dressed as cupid in a sequenced red dress, looked stunning. This was it. His chance. If you ever watched the show How I Met Your Mother, the pickup line of all lines was prepped and ready. A friend approached Elise, tapped her on the shoulder, and dropped a: “Havvve you met, Gary?” To which Gary followed up with “Hi, I’m Gary.” Completely unaware that a drink had just been spilled on her and the timing was awful; Elise was thoroughly unamused: “I know what that’s from. It’s not funny.” Oof. Crashed and burned. Gary retreated in defeat, resolved that he blew his chance to impress “the girl in the white Ithaca College sweatshirt.”
Jump ahead a few more weeks. Gary played in an Albany Law softball league. Turns out, some of his teammates had class with Elise and were mutual friends. So, after a game, Gary and the team went out for some drinks at Elda’s on Lark Street and who would show up—Elise. A mutual friend called her over and introduced her to Gary. We chatted for a while until Elise curiously asked, “Have we met before?” To which Gary of course said, “No, I don’t believe so.” It didn’t take too long before she put two-and-two together and recalled Gary’s failed pickup attempt on Halloween. We laughed off the whole thing. While the chemistry was obvious to those around us, we left the bar – separately. Back to our respective apartments, alone.
Soon after, Elise arranged, through mutual friends, a second “coincidental” meetup for drinks. At this point, Gary and Elise knew something real was brewing. It wasn’t long before the first date, a double date, to see the new James Bond movie “Skyfall” was put in motion. However, due to an incredibly unfortunate miscommunication by Gary and the friend who drove, we were dropped off separately. No post-date walk home. No kiss goodnight. Another miss. No second date.
At this point, our story takes an extended pause for final exams and winter break. As 2013 progressed, our getting together was a long shot. We had a shared class, but we sat apart. We didn’t talk. We didn’t text. We had other plans. But, at the same time, we could not shake the chemistry. It was obvious to us. It was obvious to our friends. We just did not act on it.
That was until the end of the year. May 2013. Café Hollywood. Lark Street. With the strong encouragement of several friends, we took a shot and embraced the chemistry (and we’ll spare our parents those details). Safe to say, our story finally begins to heat up.
The summer of 2013 brought our first semi-long-distance relationship (though we didn’t put any official label on it just yet). Gary was living at the lake house and interning at the Warren County District Attorney’s Office in Lake George. Elise was finishing her master’s degree and spending the summer in Albany. We drove the hour-and-a-half back and forth nearly every weekend that summer. Our first official date – Cate’s Italian Garden in Bolton Landing. Our first concert – Zach Brown Band at SPAC in Saratoga. Our first High Peak hike – Giant Mountain, Lake Placid. The summer flew by. Before we knew it, we were back in Albany for our 2L year and officially dating.
At the time, Elise was living in an apartment located in the Center Square Neighborhood of Albany, near the Capital. Gary was living in an apartment across Washington Square Park on Madison Avenue, about a 15-minute walk away. It was rare not to see us together both on and off campus. We had many firsts that semester: Elise’s first Rutgers football game (and, naturally, her first White Castle experience), Gary’s first Thanksgiving with Elise’s family, our first “ride-or-die” wedding, and the first “I love you” (for those curious, Elise said it first!).
Spring 2014 brought our first betta fish (Davy Jones) and many late nights at the Schaffer Law Library. We had become a true “power couple” by this point in the story. Elise was named the Student Project Director for the Law School’s Elder Law Pro Bono Project and the Executive Editor of the International Law Studies online forum, and Gary was elected Editor-In-Chief of the Albany Law Journal of Science and Technology. Everyone around us could see we really did bring out the best in one another.
The summer of 2014 was yet another test of how strong our relationship was. Gary took a 10-week internship in Philadelphia working for Cohen Seglias and subletting a room on the UPenn campus, while Elise was in Albany interning with the Office of General Counsel for the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). 234 miles and 2 state lines separated us that summer, a solid 3-hour 45-minute drive, assuming no traffic, on the New York State Thruway, Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike, I-295, I-76, and the Walt Whitman Bridge. We made that drive nearly every weekend, determined to make it work that summer no matter the distance.
As the summer ended and 3L year began, we both naturally questioned what was next for us after graduation. Gary’s internship turned into a full-time job offer in Philadelphia, and Elise secured a full-time job in Albany to lead the New York State Office of the Attorney General Lemon Law Arbitration Program. It was painfully obvious to both of us that our summer distance was about to become a lot more permanent. Still, unwilling to face that reality and uncertainty, we made the most of 3L year. We took classes together. We spent most days and nights together. We visited each other’s family and shared holidays. We graduated.
Knowing that what we had was special, we agreed to try and make it work despite the long distance. And so began the next decade of countless Amtrak trains and road trips. From 2015-2017, the 6:49pm Keystone out of Philadelphia to New York City with a one-hour and twenty-minute layover and then a transfer to the Empire Service, which arrived in Albany at 11:59pm (a five-plus hour trip, not including the pre-boarding wait time) became a routine, with a similar reverse trip on Sunday afternoons. A 24/7 relationship for two years in law school was relegated to 36 hours on the weekend, with texts, calls, and FaceTime to fill in the gaps.
Those hours, minutes, and seconds were everything, and reaffirmed our commitment to making it work one way or another. We embraced the City of Brotherly Love and all the food, culture, and half-marathons that it had to offer (to be clear, Elise ran those not Gary). At the same time, we knew that we had to find a way to shorten that distance.
After two years, the geographic hurdle was weighing on us both. But, as fortune would have it, an opportunity arose in late 2017, and Gary relocated within the law firm from Philadelphia to New York City. Finally, Gary and Elise were back in the same State!
While Philadelphia will always hold a special place in time for us and is a memorable part of our story, the Big Apple quickly became the focus of the next chapter.
By November 2017, Gary was renting a studio apartment at East 87th Street and York Avenue in the Upper East Side and working in Manhattan’s Financial District. Elise was upstate working at the Office of the Albany County Attorney, representing the Department for Children, Youth, and Families in child protective cases. Gary’s relocation to New York City cut the travel in half and brought us just 2.5 hours apart.
The City also infused a new energy into our relationship. Weekends consisted of Broadway shows, amazing restaurants, and museums that only New York City can offer. By the Spring and Summer of 2018, we still longed for those days when we didn’t have to leave on a Sunday afternoon or Monday morning. What we needed was some real time away from our careers and to rekindle those law school days and nights. Luckly for us, our first opportunity came in June 2018, when we road tripped down the east coast to Sanibel Island, Florida for a wedding, and we were able to take in some much-needed sun and beach time.
Another wedding in the fall of 2018 brought us from the east coast to the west coast to San Diego, California, a first-time trip to the Pacific for Elise and first time in ten years for Gary! Our trip to the Golden State brought us to Temecula, the San Diego Zoo, Seaport Village, and Pacific Beach. Elise encouraged Gary to upgrade the car rental to a Mustang GT for the trip, which was worth every penny to drive on the Pacific Coast Highway. It was a memorable and much-needed trip for us.
In November 2019, we went on our first real extended vacation, a 10-day trip to Orlando, Savanah, and Charleston, which included, of course, Disney World and Universal Studios (Harry Potter World), ghost tours, historical walking tours, and so much delicious food. It was an amazing trip and one of our favorite memories of our story.
While these trips were highs to our story, we would be remiss not to mention the loss of our cat, Kasha, in 2019, due to complications from feline kidney disease. This loss would shape the future fur family we have today. Kasha was our first pet we grieved together, and we miss him every day.
By late 2018, Elise and her sister, Adele, had purchased a home in Delmar, New York, just south of Albany and a mere 15 minutes from the Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak Station. Adele had just finished a DVM program at Cornell University and was working in Albany, same as Elise. Meanwhile, Gary was still working and living in New York City. The 142-mile gap between us continued to place an obstacle to the relationship. What we did not expect was that a global pandemic would serve as the catalyst that would eventually remove that obstacle.
Enter 2020. COVID-19. We all remember it, and, to many, it already feels like a short yet surreal blip in time. For us, the coronavirus pandemic put in motion telecommuting and remote work and opens the next chapter in our story. But, before we get there, let’s add in some context. COVID-19 decimated New York City, an epicenter of the virus. It forced Gary and many others in the city and across the country into quarantine. After only a few days of isolation in a 400SF apartment, Gary needed to leave. He approached Elise about moving in with her and Adele as the world adjusted to the pandemic fallout. Adele was onboard and so began a “Roomies” moniker that we still have to this day. Gary grabbed one of the last available rental cars out of Manhattan (a candy apple red Honda Civic with Massachusetts plates), defied the state mandate of only allowing “essential travel,” and raced north to Albany before further restrictions were added. Once in Delmar, we were under one roof, and the Roomies and their select inner circle watched safely from the Capital District as the world reacted and responded to variants, vaccines, and return to work protocols. Gary spent five months in Delmar with Elise and Adele, from April to September, before the firm required him to return to New York.
Gary’s time living with Elise in 2020 solidified what we (and those around us) knew years earlier — that, through good times and bad, we were meant to be together. The question that remained was how to make it a reality. While COVID-19 era restrictions remained in place through 2021, Zoom, Teams, and other video conferencing platforms reshaped our profession. In-person court conferences and appearances were no longer required. Trials, arbitrations, mediations, and depositions all held remotely. Because most, if not all, of the work was now virtual, it became less of a need to be physically present in the office. More employees (especially lawyers) began demanding remote work because it simply offered a better work-life balance.
So, Gary had a plan. With the ability to work remotely, Gary didn’t need to be in New York 24/7. He would travel to New York as needed but live predominantly in Albany with Elise. By 2021, the firm implemented a 3-2 policy (3 days in office, 2 days remote), and Elise’s new position as counsel within the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) offered a similar schedule. But that was not enough for Gary. He needed more flexibility. So, Gary worked out a deal with the firm to allow him to work remotely in Delmar and travel to New York with the target (but not requirement) of at least 2 days in the office. Plus, with the benefit of below-market rent prices coming out of COVID-19, Gary moved out of his studio apartment one block north to a luxury apartment building in April 2021, which provided Gary with a footprint in New York City for business and for us to vacation on weekends. With the new flexibility, bigger and better things began to take shape.
In June 2021, we adopted Ramona from Best Friends Animal Society in New York City, the “queen” and the first of our current cast of characters.
In October 2021, we vacationed in Santa Monica, California, spending a week on the beach, hiking, and visiting Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood.
In October 2022, we adopted Rex from Louie’s Legacy Animal Rescue in New York City, our 8-pound spicy chihuahua and the center of our world (the cats probably have feelings about that statement).
In April 2023, we adopted Lan n/k/a Roland, our second of the current cat contingent, another Louie’s Legacy alum.
By July 2023, we adopted Oreo, our third cat of the current crew, also a Louie’s Legacy alum. Oreo has a great backstory of how she found her way (back) to us, and we’re glad she did.
As our family was continuing to grow, it was time for Gary to make an honest woman out of Elise, wouldn’t you say? But before that, he had one more life hurdle to clear. In late-2023, Gary applied for and was elevated to partner at the law firm effective January 1, 2024. Now a partner, Gary put in motion a plan to pick and buy a ring (matching Elise’s particular specifications) and coordinate the proposal. In May 2024, Gary first met with a jeweler in lower Manhattan to confirm the metal, setting design, size, and cut. In June, Gary met with the jeweler again to pick out the specific diamond (spending an hour-plus analyzing and scrutinizing a dozen different stones) to ensure the perfect color, carat, and clarity. By July, it was in motion, and all Gary could do is wait.
Step two. Gary talked to his sister, Melissa, now officially a mom to our then-3-month-old nephew, Nathan, to plan the proposal at the end of August. Labor Day Weekend. The plan was to propose to Elise at the summit of Kipp Mountain overlooking Loon Lake. Truth be told, Gary planned that exact spot for the proposal years earlier during a conversation with Elise while tubing on Loon Lake, an ode to the Summer of 2013 when we started our story. Melissa and Dan would join us on the early morning hike, and, unbeknownst to Elise, they would have champagne and take pictures and video of the entire moment. By August, the ring had arrived. It was perfect. That day, Gary called Elise’s dad, Tom, to ask for his blessing, to which he replied: “Holyyy shit.” But, of course, he gave his blessing, as did Elise’s mom, Amy, and Adele.
Step Three. The morning of August 31, 2024, had a brisk and overcast sky. We left Delmar early to meet with Melissa and Dan at Kipp by 8AM to avoid other hikers and onlookers on the trail. Gary was naturally nervous and more talkative than normal but excited that everything fell into place perfectly. Elise had no idea what was about to happen, and even commented on that drive, “of all the places to hike, why do you want to go to a place that we have done so many times before?” Gary laughed and said, “well, I think we will have a great view of the lake this morning.”
When the moment came, Gary convinced her to look out at the lake for a picture, and with her back turned, Gary got down on one knee and pulled out the long-awaited ring. She turned around and left her body.
With the Adirondack backdrop, Gary reaffirmed that he had loved her since the first day he saw her and asked her to spend the rest of his life with him. The look of pure disbelief, followed by the stream of tears, and, most importantly, the “yes,” is a core memory for us, and we are so thankful to have captured the entire moment (shoutout to Melissa and Dan).
The rest of the morning was filled with phone calls and texts to our closest friends and family, brunch and decorations at the lake house prepared by Gary’s parents, Gary and Mindy, and a boat ride on Look Lake to look at the exact spot in the mountainscape where our story reached its highest high. The following day, we were blessed to celebrate with Elise’s parents, Adele, and her soon-to-be husband, Eamon. We felt so loved by all.
So, there you have it. Our story from the first meeting in the hallways of Albany Law to the summit of Kipp Mountain and a “Trail Ends” vow to embark on this life journey together.
And now, we are so excited and grateful to share our wedding day with each of you in August and celebrate the continuation of our truly special (and forever growing) love story on the mountainside escarpment of Thacher State Park. We’ll see you there!
With love,
Gary & Elise
P.S. – Since our engagement, our fur family gained another feline member. We adopted Spock, a 12-year-old crusty boy from Kitten Angels, where Elise regularly volunteers. Mr. Spock would also like to wish you the warmest of welcomes and a heartfelt “Live Long and Prosper” in honor of his namesake.