As the old adage goes "everything happens for a reason" I met two of Megan's closest friends, Jake and Lauren Alberts two years prior to ever meeting Megan. As everyone knows 2020 was a difficult and challenging year for many but also one that made us cherish the people we are closest to in our lives! In September of 2020 as the Tampa Bay Lightning were in the middle of chasing the Stanley Cup, I randomly received a message about coming on a blind date to a lighting watch party at the arena. Not only was I about to meet Megan for the first time but I also was meeting six of her closest friends for the first time! What could've been intimidating to some turned out to be one of the biggest blessings of all. Not only was Megan a joy to be around but she had an amazing group of friends who made me feel right at home. It is safe to say we didn't look back from here. We enjoy many of the same things, being around the water, trying new restaurants, working on restoring and designing houses, and spending time outdoors. There was no doubt that I wanted to start a life with Megan!

If you know me you know I LOVE sports-especially the Lightning. Due to Covid and a cancelled hockey season, playoffs (the greatest time of the year) were now happening in September. The week of September 23rd was quite possibly one of the most stressful/ worst weeks of my life but truly the best thing thats every happened to me came during the Wednesday of that week- meeting Matt. My friend group in Tampa was dedicated to watching every playoff game- so I knew Wednesday we would be doing the same. On Tuesday, I received a text message from my friend Lauren telling our group of 7 friends that she got 8 tickets to the official watch party in the arena and added "Megan, I got you a plus one- so bring your swag." I remember thinking who does she know that I don't know? Who is she bringing for me? Insert Matt- she had met him at church 3 years ago and Jake, her husband, knew that we would hit it off and thought- why the heck not, I'll randomly text this guy and see if he comes. Little to my surprise, he had been up for this group date! I was given specific directions from my friends, "Be yourself but just don't come in like a wrecking ball, maybe be a calmer version of myself." As I got to the arena, the first thing I thought was, "they set me up with a giant, this guy it too tall." The night went well as we "speed dated" with all of the couples. Once, I knew he could hang with my friends- I knew he was a keeper. That night I learned so much about Matt and remember thinking this guy can't be real..to his ability to go with the flow, competitive nature (competing in the intermission game & winning), or just make everyone feel as though they have known him forever, I knew I had found someone that I wanted to be around. I am so thankful that God's timing is always perfect...and for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Go Bolts!

I wanted to propose to Megan on September 3rd, 2021 but I knew I needed to be stealthy. The weekend that all of her friends would be back in town for the Thomas Rhett concert I knew that it was going to take some serious coordination to say the least! But first, let me rewind. When Megan and I first met I was renovating a condo, my dad was in town for literally a month to help me. Although this was a great experience, I can't imagine the thoughts that went through Megan's head. "Does his dad typically come stay at his house for months on end?" Well some great chemistry came out of that project, Megan and I had something we connected over, homes! That led us into the Bungalow, this little yellow bungalow sitting just on the outskirts of Hyde Park. After closing we thought about how to renovate this piece of history, but Megan put her foot down, insisting that we bring this home back to life. This turned out to be to such a blessing as Megan and I went step by step making decisions and selections to restore this unique home. At this point I'm sure you are wondering, but I will assure you, not all of our relationship revolved around homes. We spent time out of the water, went to countless bolts games and watch parties, and explored new restaurants all around town! However, I tell the story of the bungalow because for so many reasons I felt it reflected what life would be like together in marriage, making decisions, working with each other on little jobs, and facing adversity. So after thinking about all the beautiful and scenic places around Tampa where I could propose, at a good friend of mine brought me back to the subtle picture of a humble beginning in this little yellow (now it's white) home with Megan. So with all that being said Kristen and Lauren, two of Megan's friends helped me execute a plan to near perfection. I asked Megan to MARRY ME. Thankfully after a very very confused look, Megan said YES.