It all started with a swipe. In March 2019, Matt was living in Nashua, NH and had just finished his hockey season and was getting ready to move back to New Mexico. Meanwhile, Jen, after overcoming a tough battle with health issues, had recently moved back to her parents’ home following a long hospital stay. The stars aligned and they matched on Tinder! After they connected and spent a day or two chatting back and forth, they decided to meet in person. Matt invited Jen over to his apartment and they met for the first time on March 23rd, 2019. From the moment they met, there was an undeniable spark and they immediately clicked. They could both feel something was different, special, real. At the time, Matt was living with his hockey teammates and sharing a room with his best friend.  With Matt scheduled to move back home to New Mexico in less than two weeks, they made the most of every moment together. From the first time they met until his flight on April 2nd they spent every second that they could together.  Within days of moving home, it didn’t take long for Matt to realize that he had to find a way to see Jen again. He scraped together enough cash to fly her out and after long last, they would finally be reunited. After 3 layovers and 22 hours of flying, she made it to New Mexico. Although they were only able to spend two days together, they made the most of the time they had and grew even closer.  That first trip to New Mexico solidified that Jen and Matt were going to make things work. No matter what. They decided they could easily get through the six months of long distance until he would move back for hockey season.  The next few months were spent taking turns flying across the country, spending countless hours on the phone, and eagerly counting down the days until Matt moved back to New England. At some point during the summer, Matt found out that he wasn’t going to be able to afford to pay for an apartment, which meant he wouldn’t be coming back. Jen was living with her parents at the time and Matt had stayed with them for a few weeks over the summer. Her parents knew how important Matt and Jen were to each other and had never seen their daughter so happy. Luckily, Jen’s parents allowed Matt to move into their house. They spent the next few years living in a 10x10 bedroom in the basement, just thankful for the time together after months of long distance.  Less than 3 weeks after they first met, during that unforgettable first trip to New Mexico, Matt gave Jen a promise ring and vowed that he was going to marry her one day.  Now, five years, three moves, two job changes, one puppy, and countless memorable moments later - Matt’s prediction is finally coming true.