When we first connected in the spring of 2016 we were living in the same neighborhood in Baltimore MD, but since we grew up only an hour from one another in NJ our first conversations were centered around the jersey shore, mutual friends, and sports (we were both college athletes, although our NFL allegiances do not align). Our first meet up was at a local bar in Federal Hill, and while the oversized beers certainly helped break the ice, our chemistry was instant. Within that first week we had our first date at an Italian restaurant called Brendali's, went to a Bruce Springsteen concert on our second date (talk about sweeping a girl off her feet), and spent many nights getting to know each other hanging on our rooftops (a Baltimore thing). We made it official before heading home for Memorial Day Weekend the next month, and the rest is history.

While our story started in Baltimore, in 2017 we decided it was time to move back to NYC/NJ and start the next chapter of our lives together, with new jobs in a city that we both had always considered home. In 2019 we decided to plant roots and purchased an apartment in the heart of Jersey City, just a few short months before the Covid pandemic began. Throughout quarantine this apartment has been our living space, working quarters, workout haven (peloton was a game changer), and hangout space. So we can safely say that when you spend that much time with one person, in such a small space, and love them more and more each day, you know it's meant to last.

After almost five years together, Ryan popped the question at Sandy Hook beach, on May 16, 2021. I "thought" we were having coffee on the beach (something we often like to do when visiting Ryan's parents) and meeting two friends for brunch, but Ryan had other plans. With a photographer hidden in plain sight, shortly after walking onto the beach and putting our belongings down, Ryan got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I did not see it coming (although I should have had my suspicions), but it was one of the best moments of my life and I would not have changed a thing. Instead of going to brunch, we celebrated back home with our families, and it was a day we will never forget. If you want to see the proposal video or more details from that magical day, here is our write up on How They Asked: https://howtheyasked.com/taylor-and-ryan-1/. July can't come soon enough, let's party!