We met our first year of undergrad at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. We had both ended up in a jazz choir type performance for Mom's weekend, and one week of practice both of our partners were absent, so we paired up as dance partners. It was fate! That night we realized we had a lot of common interests in music and pop culture and from then on were pretty inseparable. We started dating sometime late October or early November in 2008, so we always consider November 5 (Apollonia's birthday) as our Anniversary. When we get married summer 2024, we will have been together a little over fifteen and a half years. In that time, we both graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and moved across the country to the West Coast, where we were incredibly fortunate to both attend and graduate from the University of Oregon School of Law together. We are proud to be Illini and Ducks! We both became attorneys, with Mat continuing to practice law, and Apollonia working in government for a state environmental agency. Our chosen home is Oregon, and each day we appreciate our Pacific Northwest surroundings- even when it rains! Our travels together camping, backpacking, and adventuring has brought us around most of the state. In the winter we love to head up to the mountains and cross country ski. We like to eat our way through wherever we visit, and living in Portland is one of the best places for a variety of different cuisines and specialties. Another favorite pastime is seeking out and enjoying live music at venues of all sizes throughout the state. And of course, we love living where there is such a great beer and wine culture to enjoy. We are very much looking forward to finally tie the knot, and continue our adventure together!