We met on July 16, 2019 at Hessen Haus, a fantastic German restaurant in Des Moines. After a nearly four hour date, we decided to continue to see each other. After a few more dates, we decided to make it official on August 7, 2019. Our first few months of dating were very busy. We attended several Iowa football games, visited Lake Time Brewery in Clear Lake, and traveled to Death Valley National Park. We adapted our dates in March 2020 when Covid hit - going out in downtown Des Moines turned into ordering Fong's takeout and working on puzzles. We've always been flexible! Traveling has always been one of our shared passions. We've visited seven national parks together so far - Death Valley, Great Smoky Mountains, Zion, Canyonlands, Rocky Mountain, Acadia, and Shenandoah. We've also enjoyed trips to Denver, Tampa, New York City, Boston, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Halifax, and Montreal. In January 2022, we said goodbye to our beloved Des Moines and headed to Maryland. We love hiking and exploring all the DC region has to offer. We have been very lucky to make wonderful friends here and we've loved welcoming family and friends out to visit us. Charlie proposed to Lauren on October 23, 2022 at the Kennedy Rose Garden in Boston. We were there for the weekend to see the Patriots play the Bears. Although Lauren's Patriots lost, it was the best weekend ever. Lauren's parents were able to fly in for the proposal, which made the moment so special. We are looking forward to celebrating together!!!