Our love story began in 2019 on the warm summer sands of Sea Bright. Matt was introduced to Melissa by her Surf School business partner, Chris. Melissa thought Matthew was pretty hunky but wasn't sure if he was serious. Matt was obviously taken by Melissa's beauty, grace, and her boss mode. They went out a few times that Fall, but both set off on solo adventures leading into Winter: Matt to India and Sri Lanka, Melissa to Puerto Rico and Europe. Melissa returned from her travels, assuming Matt had moved on, only to find a post card from Sri Lanka waiting in her mailbox. This was a pretty romantic move on Matt's part, and this time Melissa was the one who was taken. But then... COVID-19 turned everything upside down. Matt scheduled weekly long-distance video calls and when he returned to New Jersey, they renewed their courtship -- while of course abiding by all of the CDC's regulations -- which helped lay a foundation for what would become an affectionate relationship and devoted partnership, built on love, communication, and shredding the gnar.

Our young relationship blossomed on the weathered boardwalk of Asbury Park, highlighted by a movie night in the crumbling Paramount Theater's final days, pizza parties for two on the picnic tables of Porta, and unrivaled breakfasts at Cardinal. In September of 2020 we moved to Sea Bright together, and back to where our love story began. In December of 2021 our family grew by one, with the birth of little Rosemary Robin. In May 2023, as the sun set over the Shrewsbury River and Hartshorne Woods, Matt proposed to Melissa on their back dock.