Matt and Kenzie met in college during the fall of 2015 when they both walked up at the same time to pet a dog that one of Matt's friends had brought to a house (thanks Sully!) on campus. The two of them hit it off instantly and spent the remainder of the school year (Matt's last) nearly inseparable - highlighted by Saturdays watching the Buckeyes, late night runs for mozzarella sticks or Oreos, and a tour of every Italian restaurant in Columbus. After Matt graduated, he moved back to Chicago to begin working while Kenzie stayed in Ohio to finish school. They spent the next 4 years building their relationship from a distance, driving hundreds of miles every few weeks to spend time together, facetiming after long days of class and work, and visiting Kenzie's family to spend time on the boat and laugh at Matt's sunburns. The time apart was challenging but they both knew they were building towards something that would last a lifetime. It wasn't until the Covid-19 pandemic that Matt and Kenzie would finally have a chance to close the long distance chapter of their love, as Matt packed his bags and drove up to Madison, WI (where Kenzie took her first job out of college) to hunker down together. The two of them were thrilled to finally see one another through more than a phone screen, but nervous for such a big and sudden step in the relationship. Unsurprisingly, the two fit together like peas in a pod as they passed the lockdown period playing endless games of Rummy or Yahtzee, and binging TV shows that Matt SWORE Kenzie would enjoy, but often didn't. Towards the end of the pandemic, in the winter of 2021, Matt and Kenzie took two more major steps in their relationship. In early February, they welcomed a 3-month-old rescue puppy named Javy (named after Cubs star Javier Baez - you can guess who came up with that idea) into the family, who first stole their hearts and then stole their bed. A few months later, Matt and Kenzie moved in together in Chicago, where they reside today. 2 years later, Matt convinced Kenzie to take a walk in nearby Lincoln Park to go "meet his dad for lunch" on a Saturday in May of 2023. The two of them walked up to the bridge overlooking the pond near Lincoln Park Zoo and it was there that Matt took Kenzie by the hands, tears filling his eyes before he could say a word, and asked her to be his wife. The two of them celebrated a moment that had been nearly 7 years in the making, soon joined by their parents who had been hiding not far away. Now, as they prepare for the next chapter, they are beyond excited to share this day and many more with all of you!