Mike and Lauren first met each other early on in their freshman year of college. They both joined the marching band at the University of Pittsburgh in 2009, where they both played clarinet. It was a tradition for freshman and some upperclassmen to gather to begin getting to know each other before band camp, and it was here in the band room in Trees Hall that Mike and Lauren first found each other. When the band director at Pitt, Jack Anderson, got up to speak, he said "Look around you. Your future spouse could be in this room". While many people rolled their eyes at the line he would use every year, it has proved to be prophetic. Throughout freshman year, they remained friends while each dated other people. Two east coast kids in a city full of yinzers and people from just outside Philly, Mike and Lauren found they had the same interest in teams from New York: Mike from growing up on Long Island, and Lauren from having a father who made sure she knew the right teams to root for. They bonded over both living in Tower A (the best freshman dorm), the Yankees winning a World Series in 2009, and sleepless nights in the Cathedral of Learning and Hillman Library spent (mostly) doing homework. They were happy to find they both had Chemistry together in the spring semester, which meant hanging out at least once a week and collaborating on class assignments. Between freshman and sophomore year, Mike and Lauren both found themselves single. Lauren texted Mike a supportive message about how she knew the feeling and it would all turn out ok. When they returned to campus in the fall, they both lived in the same dorm on campus in single occupant rooms. Frequently hanging out with friends who were living off campus, Mike became Lauren's walking buddy to make sure she made it back to campus and returned safely to the dorm building. Throughout the first semester, they spent a lot of time together as a result of walking home together, living in the same dorm, and seeing each other at band practice. In January 2011, the marching band traveled with the football team to Birmingham, Alabama to play at the bowl game that year. Mike and Lauren had quickly claimed being bus buddies on such trips, sitting next to each other for the entirety of the 28-hours roundtrip that they would be trapped on a moving vehicle. Whether it was Birmingham's reputation for romance or slowly going insane from being on a bus for that long, that trip solidified what Mike was already feeling. Shortly after returning to campus, Mike finally asked Lauren out in the dorm building they both lived in on January 12th. Lauren, for some reason, said yes. More than likely, she was excited to be able to tell her dad that she found someone that wasn't an Eagles fan.

Over the next several years, Mike and Lauren were inseparable. When Mike busted his chin playing ultimate frisbee, Lauren made sure he got to the emergency room and got stitched up. After finishing their undergraduate degrees in 2013, Mike supported Lauren while she finished grad school and got her doctorate, then Lauren supported Mike while he subsequently took classes in the evenings after work to get his MBA, and then finally they mutual agreed to stay out of school for a little while. They both decided they wanted to travel and see more of the world, going to Niagara Falls and Ireland. In March of 2020, Mike and Lauren decided they would go to France and make use of all the high school French classes they both took once upon a time. After a great trip most of the week, they were awoken at 2am Paris time to frantic calls about the country shutting down due to coronavirus and needing to get back to the US. Thrust into the sudden adventure of unplanned travel and getting home, Mike and Lauren made it home to a life of only seeing each other in person during lockdown. After a year of the pandemic and much discussion, Mike and Lauren knew they wanted to add a dog to their family. They started visiting shelters and meeting dogs, looking for one to adopt and take home. On January 30, 2021, they met a Beagle mix named "Little Man" at the local animal shelter and fell in love again. After taking him home and renaming him "Cooper", they learned to work together in dog training, taking care of the needs of another life, and cleaning up vomit when Cooper inevitably ate something he shouldn't have. After living in Pittsburgh for all of their relationship up until that point, Mike moved to Baltimore in March 2022 to pursue new job opportunity with Lauren and Cooper following in May 2022. This was the beginning of a new chapter and new adventure in their relationship!

Mike and Lauren settled into their life in Baltimore, with their new jobs and the purchase of a house. They still occasionally went back to Pittsburgh for football games, to visit friends, and so Lauren could still help teach Physical Therapy students at their alma mater. On reflection, Mike knew how important Pittsburgh had been for them. It had been where they met, where they fell in love, where their relationship grew, where they lived together, and where they adopted a dog. Like french fries on a sandwich at Primanti's, it just made sense for Pittsburgh to be the place where they took the next steps in their relationship. Mike started planning and quietly researched engagement rings so that he could surprise Lauren. He purchased a ring and waited for the perfect opportunity. At the beginning of April 2024, Mike and Lauren both went to Pittsburgh. That Saturday, they had a free morning to do what they wanted before meeting up with some friends. Mike knew this was the perfect opportunity; he just had to steer Lauren in the right direction. After waking up that morning and getting ready, Lauren told Mike that one of their good friends from undergrad also happened to be in town. Lauren suggested that they get brunch with him, and Mike internally cursed. They got brunch and caught up with their friend, with Lauren none the wiser while Mike sat with a ring in his pocket internally screaming. After parting ways with their friend, Mike suggested they go to the nearby Grandview Overlook. A known tourist spot, this location looks out from Mount Washington over the city of Pittsburgh and offers beautiful views. Lauren was suspicious about the suggestion, but went along with it anyway. When they got to the overlook, they stood and looked at their former home. With no one else around them on the overlook, Mike began talking about how much Pittsburgh meant to their relationship and how much he loved Lauren. Finally the moment had come: Mike got on one knee, pulled the ring out, and asked for Lauren's hand in marriage. Lauren answered "of course" and pulled him to his feet for a kiss.