The story began with a Hinge match. Abbey and Matt matched on Christmas Eve, just before Abbey was flying home to Indiana - otherwise, they might never have connected at all! The conversation started instantly, and thankfully, it never stopped. After the holidays, once Abbey returned to NYC, it took four weeks for them to finally meet in person! First, Abbey had COVID, then Matt had COVID - clearly the universe was testing their patience. Once they finally met, it was over pizza and margaritas at Adrienne’s Pizzeria in NYC. What was supposed to be a casual first date turned into nearly five hours of nonstop conversation about everything under the sun. Before the night even ended, Matt was invited to travel to Indiana for Easter to meet the family. Bold move. It worked. In those early weeks, Matt traveled to the city almost every weekend to visit. Eventually, Abbey worked up the courage to venture out of the city herself, starting with Hoboken (the trains were intimidating). She successfully made it to Florham Park several times before ultimately deciding that getting picked up was the easier approach… They officially started dating around Valentine’s Day, and not long after, got their first place together in New Jersey. Since Abbey was still in night school at the time, Matt drove into the city four nights a week - every week - for just under three years to make sure Abbey made it home safely. Those late-night drives became their time: full of conversations, laughter, and moments that kept them both sane during some of the busiest seasons of life. Along the way, their family grew to include the great Kailani, followed later by the quirky Alabama, who made things even more complete. The engagement was just as special as the journey that led them there. Matt surprised Abbey with a trip to California to celebrate the start of her final semester of law school (at least that was what he told her the celebration was for). It was January, and they were more than ready to escape the cold. They stayed in an Airbnb right on the Balboa Peninsula boardwalk, and one afternoon Matt told Abbey to be ready to walk to the beach at 4:45 - hinting at a surprise. Naturally, Abbey assumed it involved an ATV or a boat ride. Instead, Matt spoke from the heart and got down on one knee as the sun caught the ring just right before slipping into a perfect sunset. Abbey said yes (obviously) and still hasn't stopped smiling. Moments later, Allie appeared to let them know she had captured the entire moment on camera, just in time for a sunset photo shoot. They celebrated by calling loved ones and then heading to Maestro’s for dinner, sharing a bottle of Eight Years in the Desert and talking for hours - just like they did on their first date. Now, with two dogs and countless memories, they can’t wait for every chapter still to come.