Lauren first met Shawn on her way to her annual Christensen family reunion in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. In July 2020, Lauren flew through Raleigh (thanks, pandemic) where she overnighted with her close friend, Jenn, who was engaged to Shawn’s brother, Jimmy. Long story short(ish), Lauren and Shawn met at the pool hall. They re-connected in October 2020 at Jimmy and Jenn’s wedding – and the pandemic brought them together again with Lauren stepping in as maid of honor for Jenn’s sister, who was stuck in St. Louis thanks to COVID. Lauren met Shawn’s kids, Austin and Dean (and she heard that one asked his dad if he liked “the girl with brown hair.”) Six days later they decided to give long-distance a go despite Shawn’s skepticism it would work. They felt fortunate to have had something wonderful come from a year that was so difficult for so many. The next year and a half consisted of thousands of games of Oh Hell and Five Crowns, hundreds of miles walking their dog, Max, and what felt like millions of Delta miles earned. But there was also lots of fun travel together, including Shawn’s lifelong desire to see the blue fireflies of Hendersonville with the boys, Shawn’s (unexpected) visit to Austin to see Lauren at her parents’ in Austin after she broke her elbow, Shawn’s first-ever trip to New York City, and many long weekends to the mountains and the beaches of North Carolina. They’re trying to instill the travel bug in Shawn’s kids too, having taken them to Charlotte, Virginia, Hendersonville, Myrtle Beach, and New York City. In May 2022, Shawn proposed while hiking Looking Glass Rock near Asheville, North Carolina in a downpour with Max. While the original plan, a hot air balloon, was foiled due to the weather, Lauren can’t imagine a better way to get engaged – hiking in the mountains with Shawn and Max (though Shawn was terrified Max was going to go over the ledge at the summit). Even the rain and the fog lifted for the big moment. Whoever said opposites attract was on to something. For example, Shawn loves the beach while Lauren prefers the mountains. Shawn loves to cook while Lauren would rather get takeout. Shawn is an early riser whereas Lauren thinks 9am is early. Shawn likes to play pool. Lauren doesn’t. And Lauren loves to hike, which Shawn refers to as “walking in the woods.” Lauren will take Max on 8 walks a day while Shawn thinks two are sufficient. However, they’re both always up for an adventure. And Lauren better be ready because Shawn’s main promise to her is that it will never be boring. So, here we go…