For months Sarah (Smith) Freismuth had been encouraging us to meet each other. We both share a love of golf, having fun, and spending time with family and friends. Being that we are both incredibly stubborn, both of us avoided making the extremely LONG trip (25 miles or so) to meet the other. This particular weekend Natalie's roommates were both out of town, and she finally gave into Sarah's request to join her at Matt's birthday bbq pool party at his apartment complex. She and Matt got along super well, and they went on three dates that following week. It was clear early on that this was something special, and they both quickly introduced each other to family and close friends.

Natalie just never played games. When I invited her to hang out, she would say yes, or she would regretfully say no because she really couldn't. Before we even met, Sarah had told me Natalie had said she wasn't interested in meeting me because commuting from Long Beach to Irvine was way too far. When we met, we hung out three times that week, and there was never a question on if we would be commuting, but who was going where which day. The first four months were a blur. From the get go, I felt myself around her. I didn't have to put on a show, and I felt so comfortable. I met her parents, and she met mine. I moved even further away, and she still wanted to hang out with me. When my roommate's dog ate through his door, she let Bailey and I move all of our junk into her place until we could figure out the next move. I knew I wanted to be with her right away, but I knew it was something special after I took her home in August. For me I knew this could be the real deal by Thanksgiving 2015. I really wanted her to go home with me to spend it with my family, and she said yes without hesitation. I had already thought about her saying no and thought about if I would stay in California or not, but I didn't even have to worry about it. We signed our lease a couple of weeks later, and I knew this was it. She's always fit in with my friends, and they've always asked when she's going to be back instead of asking when I was getting rid of her. I fit in with her friends seamlessly, and I consider her friends my friends. I love how much she loves Bailey and how great of a mommy she is to her. I love knowing that she's coming home to me every night regardless if one of us has had a bad day or a great day. She challenges me to do more and better myself, but she always wants it to be to my benefit. We know we can rely on each other, even when things are not perfect, and I'm happy to have a partner that I can trust and love unconditionally and know that she feels the same.

There were multiple milestones for me, but the biggest thing was always Matt's confidence. Within 3 weeks he told me I was going to be his girlfriend, and within 6 weeks I was meeting Steve, Barb, Mary, and Kevin. Matt flew me to Fort Collins, while he was visiting for a golf tournament, to meet his amazing family, some friends, and participate in a hot dog eating contest. Being the pragmatic person that I am... my head said, "Natalie, it's been 6 weeks," but by the end of the trip I knew and had told him I loved him. At Halloween that first year, he showed me how loyal and protective he is when he checked in on one of my best friends after a tough night just to make sure they were okay. They ended the night bonding and eating chili. When we moved in together, we went through all of the fun of getting to know each other's weird habits, but most of all I realized how nice it is to have someone who loves you be so, so excited that you are home. In the worst of days at work, this really made all the difference. (This, Bailey's excitement, and the wine Matt poured me.) Right before we got engaged we found out Bailey had cancer, and it was devastating. We planned to fly to Fort Collins for Christmas, but we couldn't bear leaving Bailey behind. If anyone knows me, they know I HATE driving. If I can fly, I'm doing it. So once we decided we couldn't leave B behind, I knew we had to still go to Colorado. Once I finally convinced Matt, we called Mary to loop her in on the plan, and she was on board! I have never been so excited to drive, let alone for 16 hours each way! I knew how much it would mean to all of us to have the nine of us together for Christmas. It was seriously so much fun, and it was really full circle to have Bailey back with us in Fort Collins where we had our first family trip. When Matt asked me to marry him, it was never a hard question to answer. He has the kindest heart, and he cares so deeply. I am over the moon that he chose me.

Matt woke up the day he proposed and just knew it was happening. He had a gut feeling. He had the ring for about 2 months at this point, and he had already spoken to Roger and Neil. Both, Matt and Natalie had to work on a Sunday during football playoffs. So Matt knew she wasn't stoked, but he encouraged her to go get a manicure after work so she could relax. They had gone to look at rings in September 2017. After Mary and Kevin (Matt's sister and brother-in-law) got married, he didn't want to wait any longer to marry Nat. He designed an incredible ring that no one else would have, and he waited for the perfect moment. Matt considered proposing somewhere where a bunch of family and friends could watch. He thought about asking on the drive home to Colorado over Christmas. Ultimately he decided that he would ask at home with Bailey. He put on a movie, and Bailey walked out with the ring around her neck while they sat around the fire on their back porch. It was perfect! They celebrated with three bottles of Prosecco and called their parents!