Kristina and I met at work in the fall of 2016. Kristina was just out of college and looking for her first job, and I was the Corporate Recruiter and looking to help her land a position. From that call, we learned that our families had so much in common, with both of our mothers working for the company as well. Little did we know, that one recruiting call would turn into the world constantly reminding us that we needed to be together. We would see each other around campus no matter where we went: lunch, walks, meetings. Any outing always seemed to end with us seeing each other. 'Til one day, I walked out of a meeting with someone in the Marketing department and, wouldn't you know, right on the other side of the door was Kristina standing there with her beautiful smile. I knew then that this wasn't all just a coincidence, and that God was trying to tell us something. So I went home later that day and kept thinking of how I was going to ask her out. So I logged onto facebook and sent her a message asking for her number and if we could meet for lunch one day. Thankfully, she said yes and we went to lunch at Ledo's Pizza. She was a little thrown off about how much dressing I put on my salad, but I remember sitting there thinking that this feels different but in a good way where I knew I wasn't being judged and just taken for who I was. I knew then that I needed to know more. From there, we went on a date to Bonefish where we got to know each other even better. I felt so strongly then that I knew I had to get the first kiss, which happened at the end of the night and it was amazing. From there, we went on more dates and met each others friends and family, then making our dating relationship official on 12/22/2017. 22 has been a very special number to me over the years, and I am so glad we get to share it together making it a number that is very special to our relationship with getting engaged on October 22nd and getting married in 2022. ~Matt

Last year, Matt and I planned a fall getaway to Deep Creek. Believe it or not, I had never been before! On the contrary, Matt has countless memories from this unique destination carved in the quiet mountains of western Maryland. I was thrilled at the idea of having my favorite person show me around this new place during my favorite season. 10.22.2020: the day we left for our adventure, and the day Matt proposed. One of the most beautiful days of my life. As we drove through the winding mountains, the autumn leaves created a beautiful gradient of reds, oranges, and yellows. The sun shining down on the rolling hills. We were in awe of nature's beauty, and were so happy to be on the road together. When we arrived to our cabin, we cooked dinner right away (because, shocker, I was hungry). As we were making dinner, I could sense Matt starting to act a little off. While we ate, he wouldn’t even look me in the eye! Instead, he recited articles from the visitor’s magazine to me, word-for-word, without lifting his head up from the paper. After the world's quickest dinner, we decided to walk down to the water. Matt to fish, and I to watch the sunset. We set up our blanket on the sand, and I took a moment to take in the view. As I looked out at the sunset over the water, Matt stood behind me and placed his hand on my shoulder. When I turned around, he got down on one knee! The next few minutes were a lovely mush that I will save for just the two of us. :) After many hugs, tears, and jumps of joy at the most BEAUTIFUL ring, we sat down to call all of our loved ones. It was SO special to have this wonderful, intimate moment to just the two of us. And it was even more special to know our friends and families were on standby for when we called to deliver the happy news. We spent the rest of the weekend exploring Deep Creek, while embracing our newly engaged bliss. This magical mountain town forever holds a special place in my heart, thanks to my wonderful fiancé. ~Kristina