Back in 2015, Lauryn started at Epic Systems in Verona, WI. At that time, Ben had already been working for Epic for a few years. Lauryn's first customer was a healthcare system in Towson, Maryland called GBMC. After working with her customer team for a few months, they were fondly given the name of the "HIM Sorority." HIM, Health Information Management, was the app that Lauryn was working on. The sorority title? Well, the majority of Lauryn and her customer team were young girls, which was not the normal age range for a customer analyst. One day, some guy named Ben Normandin sent Lauryn and Jamie, Lauryn's Epic counterpart, an email with a bunch of sorority logos for their HIM sorority. Lauryn was super confused, because she didn't know anyone on their project team with the name Ben. Jamie told her that she had worked with Ben on a different project and he was temporarily helping out on their customer project for a different application. She also said he was pretty cool and really nice, and Lauryn trusted Jamie's perspective. As their project went on, they saw each other all the time at Epic and in Maryland. Lauryn's team was located right across from the Men's bathroom. It seemed like Ben ALWAYS had to go to the bathroom, because he was always walking past Lauryn's desk. Lauryn would learn later that Ben really does go to the bathroom a lot, but he also continually used it as an excuse to walk by her and strike up a conversation. For months, they bonded over all of the many things they had in common: Ironman, their love of running, their love of life and Ben pretending to like dessert just to win Lauryn over. After months of being friends, Ben finally mustered up the courage to tell Lauryn that he liked her more than just a friend. She definitely felt the same, and the rest is history! :)

When Lauryn first met Ben, she was amazed at how many places he had been and all the adventuring he had already done in life. For those not from the Midwest, Midwesterners don't typically do a lot of traveling growing up. Their vacations are going 'Up North' and spending time at the cabin and the lake, which is always amazing! But, most don't find themselves leaving home too often. Lauryn was no exception. Ben had asked her something in life that she wished was different, and she said she really wanted to travel the world. He vowed to make that a reality for her, and he has exceeded that promise the last 6 years! The Maldives had been a bucket list trip for both of them, but it was always incredibly expensive to get to and visit. After many failed attempts at a 2020 trip with Ben's sister Sarah and her husband Zach due to COVID, the stars aligned and flights and lodging for the Maldives became much more affordable. Without much hesitation, they all booked the trip! The trip was magical. Overwater bungalows, more drinks on the beach than anyone needs but certainly wants, and the most amazing weather and scenery. On Monday night of the trip, there was a beach party at the resort with a couples dancing competition. Ben & Lauryn entered and ended up winning! Only problem was Lauryn sprained her ankle during the competition. It was super bruised and swollen and she could barely walk the next day, which caused them to cancel their snorkel and private island tour on Tuesday. Unbeknownst to Lauryn, Ben was planning to propose on the excursion. Oops! They luckily were able to reschedule for Saturday, their last day on vacation. Lauryn's ankle was doing much better, so they went out on a boat and snorkeled in the middle of the ocean. Afterwards, they went to a private island with the most beautiful scenery. Ben got down on one knee, Lauryn said yes, they popped champagne, and the best part...the drone filmed the whole thing! Ben really crushed it, wow! :)