Matt and I actually knew each other when we were little. His dad Tim remodeled my parents' house when I was 6 years old (Matt was 8), and we played outside on the swing set together while Tim worked! We also went to the same high school but ran in completely different circles and never talked to each other. Ultimately, we reconnected back in Merced at MidState CrossFit! I had just moved home from 4 years in San Jose and Matt had just moved home from Georgia after sustaining a devastating and career-ending spinal cord injury during his military service in the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment. Matt kindly pursued me, but I wasn't interested at all and acted like a complete bitch to him on his first Veteran's Day. When I apologized he asked me out on a date. I agreed, mostly so several of our mutual friends would stop nagging me about going on a date with him. Two days later, he treated me to a sushi dinner at King's followed by a movie, and the rest is history! We've make it through the grueling recovery of Matt's back re-injury & multiple intense surgeries, two years of distance while I attended grad school in San Luis Obispo, over three years of living together, and we've both endured intense healing from painful parts of our pasts and continue to grow & rise together.