Some of you may already know that Matthew and Ashlee both attended the same high school, Southridge, and although four academic years separated them, the way their birthdays fell with school cut-offs, Matthew was a young Senior and Ashlee was an older Freshmen. During the 03/04 school year, Matthew's senior year, he was a Teacher's Aide for Ms. Tilles' Spanish Class. Ashlee was a student in that class...and so the story begins... Ashlee was quite a shy freshman (believe it or not) but she made it very clear that she was fond of the teacher's aide in Spanish class. Matt graded papers at a desk that faced the wall, but would catch Ashlee's stare just about every time he'd turn around to scan the class, and she always had the biggest smile on her face. This went on the entire semester, which is why it's not surprising that Ashlee relies on Matt's Spanish speaking skills whenever they travel together. Four school years difference in high school seemed like a lifetime, so life went on... Years later, Matt was at a friend's house, when his friend's little sister (Morgan - Bridesmaid) walked into the kitchen with her best friend...Ashlee. But this time Ashlee glowed with new confidence. This got Matt's attention, and later that week he had searched out Ashlee on Facebook and friend requested her. Messages through Facebook were casual, with the usual "how are you?" and they eventually exchanged phone numbers. Throughout the years, they stayed in touch and would confide in each other when times got tough, or advice was needed, but was always just that.

Ashlee would eventually head to Las Vegas with her best friend, Jacque (Maid of Honor), to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing while in a serious relationship (Matt actually left a comment on her Instagram "Where are you going?!"), while Matt was also in a serious relationship of his own. Both of those relationships would eventually come to an end, and after a long period with no contact, one of Ashlee's Facebook posts (which are few and far between) appeared front and center on Matt's timeline one night in 2017. He had noticed that her tiny little thumbnail photo was just her, so he clicked over to her profile and noticed that she was no longer "In a Relationship." Matt was excited, but composed himself before firing off the usual "How are you? What have you been up to?" and the spark had burned brighter than ever. It was from that point forward that they texted non-stop for weeks, facetimed every night, and had planned to go on a date in Portland when she headed home for Christmas break. Their first date, Matt had planned a day of breakfast at Jam on Hawthorne, followed by a drive up The Gorge to Multnomah Falls where they would take their first photo together in front of the frozen falls, and finish with dinner later that night at Screendoor. Two days just wasn't enough time, and Ashlee boarded a plane to head back to Vegas for her final few months of Nursing School. The all-day text messaging, and nightly FaceTime calls sprung into a long-distance relationship which eventually lead to the discussion of what to do after Nursing School was over and the girls had a choice to make - stay in Vegas while beginning their career in Nursing, or head back to their home in Oregon. Because the relationship showed promising signs, Ashlee & Jacque, ultimately made the decision to move back home to take their final Nursing Exam and begin careers at Providence St. Vincent. The rest is history...