We met on a dating app called Coffee Meets Bagel. Brett saw Matt first on the app and immediately thought he was cute. After Brett initiated things, Matt matched and conversations on the app began. We talked about going to Alaska, growing up in the western suburbs of Chicago, Catholic school, living in Chicago, and our jobs. Before long we were texting for hours every day. Our first date was on March 12, 2019 -- 3.12 day in Chicago! We had planned to meet at Old Crow, a bar in Wrigleyville, but it was closed on Tuesday nights. Instead, we walked across the street to The Irish Oak. After talking for hours, we realized it was BINGO night and with BINGO numbers being announced on the speaker right above our heads, it was too loud to hear each other. We walked over to Sluggers and continued talking until 12:15am when we both realized that although neither of us wanted to leave, we both had to be up early for work the next morning.

In December of 2020 Matt bought a Lettuce Entertain You gift card because there was a holiday deal. When you spent a certain amount on a gift card you received a free $25 gift card. What he didn’t know at the time was that the free gift card expired on April 15, 2021. Because of COVID-19, we waited to use the gift card until we could eat outside without it being too cold. Around Brett’s Spring Break at the end of March we started talking about planning a fancy date night to use the gift card. We chose Saturday, April 3, 2021 because the weather looked to be beautiful! Brett called around to Lettuce Entertain You restaurants to see who could guarantee outdoor reservations. If you know Brett, then you know how big of a deal this is because she hates calling people on the phone; she was clearly very excited about this fancy date! She found Pizzeria Portofino on the Chicago River downtown and thought Matt would love it. 1. Pizza. 2. On the river. 3. Outside. Brett made a reservation for 2. Off handedly Matt mentioned making a whole day of the date by taking a walk before dinner. Brett loved the idea and we agreed to be ready by 3:00 so that we had time for a walk around Lincoln Park before dinner. Matt met Brett in front of her apartment and led her to her favorite view in the city, the north end of the North Pond with the Chicago skyline in the background. After looking at the pond, Matt held Brett’s hands, gave the sweetest speech, and asked her to marry him. Brett responded with an ecstatic “YES!” Matt had asked a family friend to take pictures of our entire engagement and it could not have been more perfect. We celebrated just the two of us at Pizzeria Portofino and with a drink at the bar where we had our first date. The next day was Easter and we continued the celebration with each of our immediate families in person and some extended family over Zoom and Facetime. It was the most perfect weekend dreaming and planning for our lives together.