Marco left a mark on this world. He left a big one on mine. He came into my life at just the right time; a time when there were a lot of changes going on and I was contemplating which direction to go. I knew he would become something impactful to me when our first conversation involved inquiry into in our souls.

Marco was one of the best adventure buddies - always optimistic, safe, thoughtful and humorous. 

Although I have so many good memories of adventures taken with him, my favorite are the conversations we'd have. The lingering thoughts I'd have after hanging out with Marco that changed the way I approached life. Those conversations spurred so much positivity for me. Through Marco, I learned to be more open with people, to be more vulnerable, to know that if I jumped there would be people who would catch me. We talked about family, vulnerability, life choices, loss, love and relationships, the people dearest to us, and how we imagined our futures playing out. A few weeks ago I was telling another friend about the influence Marco has had on my life. About how many of the qualities I'm most proud of in myself have been inspired by my time with Marco. I'm so grateful that the last time I saw him, I told him how much I valued his friendship. 

Random memories of Marco include the copious amounts of olive oil he'd cover quinoa in. When I thought he'd added enough, he was only just getting started. On climbs, he'd break out in exclamations, switching from English to Spanish to Italian. A habit of mine is to say "whoa baby" when I'm surprised by something, which he mistook for me saying oh baby the first time. After that I could always count on a chorus of "oh baby" to spring from him during lulls in conversation.

Marco's influence will continue to play out in my life as I carry the memories and conversations we've had and continue to grow and learn through them. I'm grateful for everyone who played a part in bringing Marco into and up in this world. He was a unique and loved human being.