We're Getting Married!

Short Story: Hinge Long Story From Lauren's Perspective: *scrolling through Hinge" "Oh this guy is cute - looks like he has a good sense of humor - we have some common interests - I'll say Hi!" We messaged back and forth on Hinge for a bit then shifted over to text leaving the app in the dust. After a few days of texting we decided to meet for dinner - May 24, 2023 to be exact. Robby suggested El Matador, in Patchogue - a new restaurant near his old apartment that he wanted to try. I though ran into a problem earlier in the day. I had gotten Expo marker on my shirt in a very prominent location. Can't meet a cute guy with marker on my shirt, so I stopped at Marshalls and bought a new one. (If you are curious about the marker shirt - the stain is still there...I have tried everything.). Dinner was fun and we talked alot and said hey let's do this again soon. "Soon" was delayed a bit when Canada was on fire and the sky was orange. We decided to let that clear up before we hung out again. A few days later we met up in Port Jeff for ice cream and a walk along the water. That summer we adventured to Riverhead every other week to pick up vegetables from the farm and found a a bunch of new restaurants for lunch. We played mini golf and went to the movies, painting classes, cooking classes, and countless other things! That fall, one of us gets 2nd place in a garlic eating contest...spoiler alert...it wasn't me. We continued our adventures, notably cooking new veggies from the farm and learning all about beets and kohlrabis and the best way to cook acorn squash. That winter, I had gotten Robby a 1000 piece build your own pinball machine. (He took me to an unlimited pinball place over the summer and he LOVED it.) If you thought building a bookcase or IKEA furniture is hard, try that but with way more pieces and the fact that some of them are as big as a pencil point! In building that, I had realized we made a pretty good team. We each had our strengths and worked very well together. Over the years we have traveled a lot together - Maine, Illinois, Florida, North Carolina, Colorado, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Connecticut! We've watched the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain, got lost in O'Hare Airport, tried a bunch of beers in Denver, and celebrated weddings and birthdays with friends and family! Summer of 2024 we moved in together. Moving is supposed to be stressful, but going through the whole process as a team was a breeze! In October 2025, we welcomed two adorable kittens into our home, Tedward and Wednesday. Now our movies nights of two are movie nights of four! On April 12, 2026, we got engaged! The day before, Robby had asked me the name of "Secret Beach" - my unofficial name for McAllister County Park - an off the beaten path hidden beach. Why do you need to know the name unless you need to tell friends the name of it so they can meet you there. I was suspicious that that was going to be the location of the proposal, but didn't know when...until a few hours later. One of our friends, who we knew was going to be at the proposal to take pictures, sends me a reel of cool place to adventure. That place...secret beach. A double date picnic was planned for the following day. We packed our coolers, walked around the water and climbed up the sand dunes and enjoyed homemade sandwiches. I get up to stretch and when I turn around, Robby is on one knee! Shared the great news with our friends and family and now all that's left is to tie the knot!