It starts a little foggy. Technically, we met sometime in middle school- we didn't keep track. But after going separate ways for high school, eventually we decided to catch up. We thought (or so I, Marissa, thought) that we would invite friends we still had in common. Little did I know, Matthias never actually invited anyone, and it just so happened that all of my friends were busy. (Really!) So there we were, February 7, 2014 out on what would be our first date- bowling and playing the arcade games. The rest of that year was filled with trying to see each other as much as we could. We went to each other's proms, graduations, and spent plenty of weekends together throughout the following summer and fall. I moved to Florida for college in 2015 and Matthias stayed in NC for tech school. When he graduated, he took a job in Atlanta, GA since there was a great opportunity waiting (and it was closer to me). During his three years in ATL, we took turns driving to see each other for weekend trips. In 2018 while he visited me during spring break, he surprised me with a beautiful promise ring! We knew I should graduate before making things more serious but we also knew what we wanted. Eventually his contract ended and I was set to graduate soon, so Matthias made the move to Florida December 2019 where we could finally be in the same state! It's been a rough year for the world but it has brought a few personal perks- covid has kept us close and after I finished the last of my courses, we took a weekend in ATL where he popped the question! It has been a whirlwind but we can't be more excited to start life together, and we can't wait to celebrate with you all!