A long time ago, in a college town less than two hours away from some of you… While deep into grad school at the University of Florida, Lauren and Matt matched on Bumble. They first bonded over their mutual lack of progress toward school superlatives; despite being voted most likely, Matt had not become president, and Lauren had not become famous. During these early conversations, they also discovered another mutual goal of moving to Boston after graduation. Five days later, on June 11th, 2021, they met at Depot Park for a picnic, for which Lauren baked an entire homemade Oreo cheesecake after Matt mentioned how much he likes Oreos. Over the course of eight-and-a-half hours, they shared life stories and dreams for the future, all while most of the cheesecake melted in the Gainesville summer evening heat, heading home at 1am (a solid four hours after the park had closed). A second date came soon after, followed by a third, quickly turning into spending almost every day together. Lauren tried to convince Matt to get a cat. Matt pointed out that it really sounded like she wanted a cat, and in September, Albee joined the picture (actually, hundreds of pictures, he’s quite photogenic). After a delayed flight, Lauren spontaneously got to meet almost Matt’s entire family Christmas Eve, and Matt got to meet Lauren’s family on a trip up to Boston the following summer. They moved in together, Reese joined the family, and life generally consisted of late-night grad school work, Mexican food from La Tienda, and many pints of Ben and Jerry’s. They’ve leaned on each other through tougher times, like when Albee broke his leg (which has earned him the nickname “Balbee”, for “Bionic Albee”) and when they had to be long distance for a year when Matt graduated and made the long anticipated move to Boston for work. Lauren and the cats moved up to Boston in June of 2024 when Lauren started her internship, and soon after, Matt proposed by the shore of the Chestnut Hill Reservoir with a picnic that included, of course, an Oreo cheesecake (assistance and photography by Luke and Heather). Their favorite activities now include Red Sox games, Broadway in Boston, Level99, playing board games with friends, spending weekends at the library and Boston Public Garden, and Matt’s neverending hunt for good New England BBQ. After trips to Merida, Quebec, the single hottest recorded day in Key West, Disney World, Minneapolis, Martha’s Vineyard, NYC, and DC, the trip they’re most looking forward to is seeing you on a (hopefully) beautiful May evening in Providence, Rhode Island.