Matt and Ash met in 2010 at Lake Park High School. It was not until early 2011 when Ash realized that she had a huge crush on Matt. She would look forward to after third period (Physics class) where she would walk to a specific hallway just to run into Matt daily. Matt always had this goofy grin when he saw her because he would also be waiting outside her history class to run into her. In the summer of 2011, they hung out when they could since Matt was a year older and was leaving soon for Carthage College in Wisconsin. On August 13, 2011, they went to the Bears game with Ash's parents. After the game, Matt ran Ash back to the rooftop of Ash's family condo building and asked her to be his girlfriend. Ash thought he was nuts but said yes! They celebrated their first anniversary on a sailboat ride on Lake Michigan overlooking the Chicago skyline. Chicago has a special place in their hearts. For 6 years, Matt and Ash committed to a long distance relationship. Ash ended up attending Purdue University in Indiana. The distance was difficult, but they looked forward to their Skype study dates, phone calls between class and their weekend trips to see each other. Matt would travel down to Purdue to visit for Ash's sorority barn dances and formals. Ash would go to Carthage to cheer on Matt's volleyball team and hang out on campus. They would meet half way in Chicago to visit family and see each other on the holidays. No matter what it took, they would always make it work. When Matt graduated from Carthage, he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to work for Red Arrow as Ash finished her senior year at Purdue. It was fun to have a new city to visit, and it was during this time that they got their first cat, Finn! <3 Once Ash graduated from Purdue, Ash made things complicated and moved to Modesto, California. Ash did not think she would actually stay... but we all know how this story turned out. In 2017 when Ash committed to a full-time role at Gallo, Matt made the decision to move to California. They went from seeing each other 1x a month (if they were lucky) to living with each other. People would ask if they were nervous, to which they would quickly reply that they were so excited to finally see their best friend everyday! They have been in California since, and have created some incredible memories. They bought a house in Modesto and got their first dog, Pinot! They have found a love for hiking, wine tasting, exploring new beach towns and hanging out with their California family! Their two favorite California weekend trips are Lake Tahoe & Caramel-by-the-sea. Trips home to see family around the holidays are their favorite: game nights, good food, shopping, and more. Their favorite day of the year is the annual Christmas day in downtown Chicago, which is spent eating Giordanos pizza (bc its the best), visiting Christkindlmarket, and going to Lincoln Park Zoo Lights. In June 2022, Matt proposed to Ash on a trip to San Diego, CA. They were on Coronado Island with Pinot in Ash's arms looking at the San Diego skyline. It was a perfect day and the easiest "YES" of Ash's life (Ash actually yelled "DUH"). Since then, Matt and Ash have been busy completing house projects, building their careers, and travelling the world. They have went on some amazing adventures to New Zealand, London, Edinburgh, Japan, and more. This year in 2025, Matt and Ash will celebrate 14 years of dating and finally tie the knot. We are so happy to share our story with you all and cannot wait to celebrate!