Matthew and Chris were living in different cities -- DC and Chicago -- but we first met during a trip Matthew took to the windy city. Like true millennials, we spent most of our day browsing dating app profiles, and happened across one another. That evening we met up for drinks at the J. Parker, a hip rooftop lounge. Matthew threw back cans of Tecate beer, Chris gulped down gin and tonics, the conversation was lively, and the view was romantic. The rest, as they say... is chronicled in pretty good detail on Instagram.

Not even a pandemic could stop this love train. We planned an engagement day together, full of good food and fun, socially-distanced adventures to our favorite places around Chicago. Kayaking on Lake Michigan in the glow of the late summer sun, Chris seized the moment and proposed to Matthew. Later in the day, on revisiting the place where we first met, Matthew returned the question and proposed to Chris. And that night, after toasting to the future, we ate cookies in bed while watching HGTV.