Lauren and Shosh grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio just a few minutes away from each other. Lauren's father was the director of the Jewish funeral home. Shosh's father, a rabbi, officiated at the funerals. They had daughters the same age, so the families spent occasional holidays together, and the dads would get together to play basketball. Lo and Shosh's older sisters, Ilycia and Eliana, were good friends. Lo and Shosh were not as close (Lo was shy and demure, and Shosh was, well, exactly how she is now, just in miniature), but they were in the same bunk at Camp JCC. Shosh always thought Lo was the prettiest girl at camp, and always remembers thinking of "Lauren" as a pretty girl's name. Lo's family moved to a different part of the community (first into the funeral home, then to a horse farm, and the list goes on) while Shosh remained on Farm Acres. They went to different schools, had different friends, and didn't cross paths for many years. Fast forward to 2011. Shosh's cousin Eitan was a finalist in an Israeli singing competition, where Lo was also a contestant. Shosh recognized Lo, and she clicked on her entry video. She was stunned by Lo's amazing voice, which led her to some Facebook stalking. Shosh added Lauren as a Facebook friend. But many more years would pass until they would reconnect. If all of this sounds like it's from Shosh's perspective, that's because Lauren barely knew Shosh existed at this point. But all of that was about to change. Between 2018 and 2020, both Lo and Shosh figured out from each other's Facebook posts (we really should send a thank you note to Mark Zuckerberg) that the other dated women. Both of their minds were BLOWN - especially Lauren's, who had by then joined the ranks of the next generation of Kahn funeral directors, and was now conducting funerals with Shosh's father. They lived in different cities, so it seemed unlikely that they would ever meet again in person; but they stayed in the back of each other's minds. In October 2024, Shosh was visiting Cincinnati and, on a whim, decided to open up her Hinge dating app. The first profile that popped up was Lauren's. Shosh was surprised, excited, and hesitant. Did Lauren remember her? Would she ever be interested? After three days of ruminating (shocker), Shosh sent Lauren a message, but didn't acknowledge that they knew each other: "Hey! I live in NYC, but I'm in town visiting family. It would be cool to hang out sometime." Days passed, and there was no response. A week after Shosh returned to New York, her heart jumped when she saw a response from Lauren: "I would love that! When will you be in town next? Also, not sure if you remember, but we grew up together." Seizing the moment, Shosh sent Lo her number and told her to text if she was ever in NYC. Lo, always the one with game, replied: "How about I text you now?" Days of endless texting turned into weeks of podcast-length voice noting. Shosh joked that they had become like pen-pals. "Well," said Lauren, "I am looking for waaayyy more than pen-pals. I hope you are, too." After six weeks of these shenanigans, they knew they had to meet in person. Lauren flew to NYC on Thanksgiving weekend. Their first date was Shabbat dinner, their second date was going to "Wicked," and by their third date, Shosh had texted her friends, "I think I'm going to marry this girl." Seven months later, Shosh made the only decision she has ever confidently made without asking anyone else for input. After secretly designing a ring, hiring a photographer from Instagram, nonchalantly suggesting that Lauren pack a dress for a photo shoot, and persuading Lauren to hike to a secret beach on the edge of the continent, Shosh proposed to Lauren on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Portugal. Lauren said YES. They still look at each other and say: "Am I really engaged to Shosh Balk?" and "Am I actually marrying Lauren Kahn?" We can't wait to celebrate with you as our fairytale continues. See you in Oz!