Ben and Marie both grew up in the Great Lakes area, right on the border between WI and IL. Their paths first crossed at Salem Grade School in Salem, WI, in fact, they are right next to each other in the graduation photo. They both continued into high school together, neither knowing that they'd end up together. Marie will say she liked Ben in high school and that Ben ignored her, and Ben will say that she dated one of his friends. One of these statements is, in fact, true. So, it was off to college without any sparks flying yet, Ben to the Big-10 University of Wisconsin-Madison and Marie to the quaint liberal-arts school Beloit. It was a card game in 2004 that brought them back together. After losing hand after hand to Stevie Grant, Ben, Brad Mate, and Brian Fosdick had about given up on the night. That's when Marie stepped through the door to catch Ben's eye. After a few more joyous hours of poker, (Kylie Taylor and Marie joining in), it was time to call it a night. Walking outside, Ben happened to make a comment about Marie to Kylie, to which Kylie's response was "You know, her and her boyfriend have been having some trouble". Ben Replied: "Oh, well that's good. Kylie: "I shouldn't have said that." So started Ben's quest to make the beautiful Marie Hartsell his one and only.

After a few awkward appearances in Beloit, (ones that included said struggling boyfriend and shoulder-length hair from Ben) and a summer long courtship, the two would return to their respective colleges a couple.

And that, as they say, is that.