We met at a party in September 2016 while we were both attending Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. We started dating in March 2018 while Matt finished his degree at Drury and Victoria was studying at Loughborough University in the UK. Our long-distance relationship continued as Matt accepted a coaching position in Los Angeles and Victoria started working in Kansas City. In 2019, we moved to Chicago and thought our long distance days were finally behind us, when Matt's visa application was rejected. He returned to the UK at the end of 2019 and Victoria made her first visit to Essex to meet many of Matt's friends and family during the holidays before starting her new job in Chicago in January 2020. In March, Matt and several friends traveled back to Chicago for a quick trip to celebrate St. Patrick's Day when COVID-19 restrictions began. Matt was slated to start a new position in London the following week, so decided to return home. Due to travel restrictions, we spent much of the year not knowing when we would be able to see each other again. In December, Victoria received permission from her job to work from the UK, so we spent the next six months together at Matt's mum's home in Essex. In July 2021, Matt returned to the US to begin his Masters studies and to work as a coach for the women's soccer team at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Victoria spent much of her time in Louisiana working remotely, but moved full-time to Monroe in June 2022. Matt graduated with a Masters degree in Sports Management in December 2022. Matt proposed in July 2024 while taking photos before dinner with friends at our favorite restaurant in Monroe. Now that our long-distance days are officially behind us, we love to spend our time traveling, hosting friends in our home, and playing with Bailee, our golden retriever.