John first saw Lauren while he was looking for love on Hinge, a dating app, because as we all know…. true love is found nowadays on your phone. Lauren’s pictures on Hinge were a bit blurry, and John couldn’t exactly tell what she looked like, but one thing on Lauren’s profile caught his attention and that’s her love for wine and tots, “an odd pairing” …according to John. He was intrigued and eventually sent Lauren a message on Hinge to learn more about this odd pairing. What he didn’t know was that that message and this odd pairing would eventually lead him to the person he would one day consider, his “perfect pairing”. On Lauren’s side, she saw a man on Hinge reach out to connect about her love for wine and tots. She was a bit unsure about him since the photos he included in his profile looked different in every photo, but she decided to give him a chance and messaged back. She wouldn’t deny anyone wanting to learn more about the magic pairing of wine and tots. Lauren and John exchanged a few messages and John was laying on his “charm” – as he called it – but Lauren was not falling for it. Eventually, John was able to convince Lauren to go on a first date and made plans to meet for drinks. However, right before the date, Lauren got a call from her good friend Chrissy (thanks Chrissy), who had gotten a flat tire and needed some help. Lauren, being a good friend, decided to help and messaged John telling him that she was still coming, but might run a few minutes late. John continued to lay on the “charm” and responded with "Young professional by day and superhero by night ;)" – an iconic text that will be forever cemented in Lauren and John’s relationship. Lauren knew she was in trouble with this guy. Lauren eventually made it to the date, only 5 minutes late (or so she says). They exchanged a quick hug before Lauren rushed to the bathroom to wash her greasy hands. She eventually joined John at the table, they each ordered one drink, and talked about their family, life, and adventures for the next 3 hours. And the rest was history….just kidding! Later that same week, John reached out to go on a second date and both agreed to meet for dinner on a Sunday. They exchanged a few more messages, but eventually Lauren stopped hearing from John. Lauren still had not heard from John 15 minutes before their second date, but since the restaurant was close to her home, she decided to walk to there not knowing if John was going to show up. Unbeknownst to Lauren, John was already at the restaurant waiting for her. Lauren confronted John about his lack of communication later that evening. He kindly explained to her that he is a man of his words and that if he makes plans to meet with her, he will be there. To this day, Lauren and John still disagree on this topic, but this did not prevent them from enjoying their second date. However, after two successful dates, Lauren was still unsure about John and was questioning whether a third date should be in the books. She eventually called her sister to tell her about the first two dates and how she was feeling. It was then that Lauren's brother-in-law, Justin, overheard their conversation and said "Stop overthinking it. That’s what dating is, you have to date to get to know someone and build that connection." The rest was history (actually), and Lauren’s and John’s adventures together began! Since then Lauren and John have been on multiple adventures camping all around Oregon and Washington with their adventure rig dubbed “Bruce”, went on a camper van trip to the Utah National Parks, traveled to France for a friend’s wedding, and have taken many trips to California to visit John's family. On January 23rd 2022...John knew he had met his perfect pair and proposed to Lauren at their home in Seattle.