Ryan and Lauren McCourt moved to Winding Hills in February 2022 with their rescue pup Zoey, an American Staffordshire Terrier mix. Later that year, the family welcomed their son Rory, who will celebrate his first birthday this month!

    Lauren grew up in Mechanicsburg. She completed her bachelor’s degree at McDaniel College and received her master’s degree from Penn State Harrisburg. She is employed as a high school health and physical education teacher.

    Ryan was born in Long Island, New York, spent time in Drums, PA, and is now glad to call Mechanicsburg home. He graduated from Bloomsburg University and is currently pursuing his master’s degree at Boston College. He works as a transportation planning manager.

    Lauren and Ryan met online while she was living in Mechanicsburg and he was living in Hershey, where he had moved to be closer to work. The couple began dating in July 2019 and knew early on they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. They got engaged in July 2020 and were married in November 2021 in Gettysburg.

    Rory attends full-time daycare. He loves to go on walks, play at the Winding Hills playgrounds, run around in his pickup truck walker, play with his toys, splash in a bubble bath, and end the day with a good story. He is a big fan of books with sounds or touch-and-feel characters.

    The family enjoys taking walks through the community. “Rory loves riding in his stroller or red truck,” Lauren says. “You can find us almost every night walking around Hanbury Court.”

    They also enjoy going to local events or destinations, including Paulus Farm Market, Hershey’s Chocolate World, the Gettysburg Battlefields, Mt. Airy Orchards, Strasburg Railroad, and the Dillsburg Farmers Fair.

    Ryan and Lauren enjoy watching sports together. Lauren roots for all the Philadelphia sports teams, especially the Flyers. Ryan cheers for Manchester United, the New York Jets, the New York Yankees, the New York Rangers, and the Boston Celtics.

    They also enjoy trying new restaurants. Some of their favorite local places are Bacco, Amore, and The Barn at Allenberry. When dining in, they enjoy smoked meats (especially barbecue chicken) with garlic parmesan cheese potatoes. Their favorite travel destination is Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where they like to golf, swim at the pool and beach, and visit the aquarium.

    The couple’s favorite travel story occurred in May 2021, when Ryan and Lauren first visited Boston for a family member’s graduation. They took some time to walk around town and visit multiple historical locations. Lauren was three months pregnant and was starving, so the couple picked the first café they came across. When they sat down, Lauren looked out the window and discovered the Old North Church was right across the road. The church is known for being Paul Revere’s first stop on his famed Midnight Ride and was also in the movie National Treasure (which Lauren notes was her first actual reference). “As we continued to stroll through Boston, it became a game to match the historical locations to movie references!” Lauren says.

    While in Boston, the couple also saw Garth Brooks at Gillette Stadium, ate fresh lobster rolls, toured the Boston College campus, walked the harbor, and indulged in the famous cannoli from Mike’s Pastry.

    The couple are new members of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Mechanicsburg. Ryan is a member of the Cumberland County Search and Rescue Team and is the Central Pennsylvania Field Readiness Leader for Team Rubicon, a humanitarian relief organization. Ryan is also the Hanbury Court HOA vice president.

    The family enjoys many things about living in Winding Hills, including access to community walking trails and sidewalks, playgrounds and sports fields, the community pool, and convenient access to restaurants, stores, and cities. Overall, they are simply glad to call it home.