How We Met We met the modern way on Match, and after messaging back and forth for a few weeks, we started to really connect. One day, I asked Matt if he wanted to catch a movie at the theater. He totally thought I meant “Netflix and chill,” and I was like, “No, I meant the actual theater!” So that plan didn’t happen. A little while later, during the AFC Championship game between the Bills and the Chiefs, I invited him over to watch the game with me. But if I’m being honest, we probably only watched about five minutes of football. The rest of the time, we were completely wrapped up in conversation. It felt like we had known each other forever. Matt was sharing his stories, I was sharing mine, and we laughed so much that the game just faded into the background. There was something there, and we both felt it. Our second date came soon after. We went out for a friend’s birthday, and while the night was full of energy and fun, it was the quieter moments that really stood out. That night, Matt asked if we could be exclusive. It felt so natural, like something that had already been true. And, fun little twist, it also happened to be the same day I met Matt’s parents for the first time. From that point on, everything just felt easy. We weren’t rushing. We weren’t forcing anything. We were simply building something real with a lot of laughter, deep conversations, and shared dreams guiding us along the way. The Proposal Matt proposed on April 12, 2025, while we were celebrating my 43rd birthday at the LA Kings game against the Colorado Avalanche. It was such an “us” kind of moment. We both love sports, and being in that atmosphere felt like the perfect place. But Matt was so nervous. As we were walking to our seats, the rings actually popped out of the box. He managed to catch the engagement ring, but had no idea that the wedding band had fallen and gone missing. After he proposed and handed me the box, we both realized the band wasn’t there. For about 20 minutes, I just kept repeating to myself, “Stay calm. He’ll find it. He has sniper eyes.” I didn’t want to overreact, even though I definitely could have. And then, sure enough, he came back down the stairs with the biggest smile on his face, holding up the ring and asking, “Is this it?” It was. I was so relieved, and we couldn’t help but laugh at how perfectly chaotic it all was. Later that evening, I asked him if he had talked to my dad before proposing. Turns out, the sneaky guy had asked for my dad’s blessing two days earlier, on my actual birthday, while we were out to dinner. We ended the night with a beautiful dinner celebrating with his sister Kristen and her family, and were surprised by his youngest sister Megan joining us too. It was one of those unforgettable nights where everything felt perfectly imperfect and completely full of love.