Happy Campers

When Rachel and Nick signed up to volunteer at a summer camp for people with special needs in 2003, they had no intention of spending their week doing anything other than teaching and taking care of campers.

But when the two found themselves side by side at the check-in desk for several hours on the first day, they couldn’t resist some playful banter.

They quickly grew close, looking for every excuse possible to spend as much time together during the weeklong camp as they could.

A little over a year later, they’d be married. And 20 years after that, they shared their story with Meet Cutes NYC.

Take a look.

How did you two meet? 

Rachel: It was 2003 and were both volunteers at a summer camp for folks with special needs. I was tapped to be the art teacher there and Nick was doing music. Our camp director needed people to do the welcome table where we check in all the campers and make sure they see the nurse and do all these things. It’s like a three hour job, just the two people at the table together. I raised my hand to do it, and then I looked over and saw that Nick raised his hand. And my first thought was Oh good, a cute guy to sit with all day!

What were your first impressions of each other at the welcome table?

Nick: When you’re doing camp you’re not thinking Oh, I want to meet someone. We have a mission. But in between checking people in we were cracking each other up. And I thought she was cute. 

Rachel: He was so funny. He has a big, big smile and he was just cracking me up so hard. It was a very easy getting to know you phase in between the campers coming. But he’s right, our mission wasn’t to meet guys and girls, it was to take care of these folks for the week.

How’d you get to know each other? 

Rachel: After those few hours at the table, I was so blown away by him. I was in kind of a crummy relationship that was fizzling and had been for quite a while. And so I was like Wow I really needed to see what else was out there. So even though my mission at camp was to care for the campers, I definitely was like, Oh, there's something better out there for me. I don't need to settle for somebody that does totally light me up.

So the whole week we focused on our missions of camp and taking care of our campers and making sure everybody had what they need. During our downtime with the other staff we just gravitated towards each other, sitting together on couches, showing each other funny stuff on the internet. It was really a perfect way to sort of figure out who you like without going on dates. 

Nick: She was my camp bestie. I just wanted to be around her all the time. I’d have a gap in my class and go to her class to hang out. And when she had a gap in her class she’d come to mine. We just always wanted to be near each other. 

When did you realize there was mutual interest? 

Rachel: Mid-week I was talking to my roommate and was like “I’m in trouble. I think I’m gonna marry that guy.” And she was like “I think you sound crazy!” But then that week wrapped up and Nick’s friend invited me to his birthday party that was outside of camp and I was like “I will be there.”

I went and I think I was the only person from summer camp there. And I said “I’m sorry, am I the only one from camp that made it?” And what did you say? 

Nick: “You’re my favorite person.”

Rachel: I think we knew.

How’d you go on your first date? 

Rachel: We actually saw each other quite a few times in between camp and our first date. But I actually asked him out. I felt like This has to move forward, I can’t keep seeing him and being like “Goodbye, see you later with all of our friends!” And so I called him and I said “What day is good for you to come over for dinner?”

Nick: I asked my mom and sister and was like “What do I bring? Flowers or wine?” And they said both, so I showed up on her doorstep with flowers and wine. 

The date went great. We had dinner and watched the movie Amelie, drank wine and played Uno. And then we watched Jackass. Right after Jackass is when we kissed for the first time. 

How did things grow from there? 

Rachel: He had to go back to college for one more year, but we stayed together. And then I think we got engaged six months in. It was really fast. We were only engaged for nine months. Right when he got home from college, we got married. 

How’d everyone at the camp react? 

Rachel: At first people were kind of surprised because I think they saw Nick as a little bit more reserved than I do. I’m very outgoing and very loud, vivacious, whatever you want to call it. And Nick is a little quieter and more of a studious person. But 20 years later, no one is surprised at all. 

Nick: We balance each other out. 

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📊Last Week We Asked…

• Have you ever had a crush on a coworker?

  • 64% said “Yes! We spend so much time together, it’s hard to avoid”

  • 36% said “No! I have friends at work, but no romantic interests”

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Interviewed and transcribed by Nicolas Vega. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.