Michael and Natalie met at a Christmas party that Natalie was throwing for her coworkers and soon to be flag football teammates December of 2017. In the middle of the party, Natalie found Michael in her bedroom holding her cat Minnie like a baby, saying "I like cats, too!" After the party, M&N started talking more, getting to know bits and pieces about each other's lives, and ultimately starting to form a great friendship. As the months went on, M&N bonded through their shared interest for running, as Natalie was training for the Baltimore 10-miler and other outdoor sports. Despite dating other people off and on during this time, both Michael and Natalie had started connecting on a different level than just friendship. In the middle of the summer of 2018, Natalie told Michael that she had developed feelings for him and asked him to take a chance on what could be. The rest is history.