Matthew and Genevieve were acquaintances since high school and attended the same martial arts club in college. One day, the club practiced shoulder throws and Matthew hoped to be paired up with Genevieve. In this exercise, people were told to gently lift their partner an inch off the ground. (No one was supposed to be thrown around in this practice.) Matthew and Genevieve were paired up! Genevieve went first and used all her strength! But Matthew did not lift off of the ground at all. One of the club captains corrected her hip position and she tried again. Embarrassed and determined not to fail a second time, Genevieve used all her strength! And Matthew ended up thrown to the ground, the wind knocked out of his lungs. After this deadly encounter, Matthew made his first attempt to ask her on a date (he had been looking for a chance to do so for a while). Sadly, the invitation to dinner flew over Genevieve's head (she assumed it was a group dinner invitation, calling out “I'm good, thanks! I have the dining hall!” before jogging away).

Two years later, Matthew made his second attempt with a text, making it abundantly clear that it would be a date. Genevieve and Matthew messaged each other until 3 AM every night for the whole week leading up to their first picnic date by Seneca Creek. After five hours of talking, snacking, and skipping stones across the creek, they decided to have a sushi dinner at Nishiki, right here in Kentlands. Four hours later, they were still laughing and strolling around the paths of Kentlands, neither of them wanting the night to end.

Matthew began folding paper cranes three weeks into dating Genevieve. For three years, they learned and grew and fell deeper in love, and Matthew folded. In April 2024, Matthew and Genevieve went sword-shopping to prepare for a “three year anniversary photoshoot.” By May, the thousand cranes were ready. On May 26, next to the creek where Genevieve first told Matthew, “I have a good feeling about you,” he asked the big question…