A hot September day in 2015. Seattle, WA. The Douglas Apartments, Apartment #505 and #504.

It was move-in day in the Douglas Apartments (aka the “Dougies”) near Seattle University where both Lauren and Anthony went to college. Anthony was excited because he had heard a group of cute older nursing majors (specifically Lauren) were moving in next door. Lauren was just excited to finally have her own room and no longer live in the dorms; she couldn’t care less about the younger “soccer boys” moving in next door. It was Lauren’s roommate’s birthday, so Lauren’s roommates threw a party. It was then where Anthony and Lauren met and had an undeniable chemistry. Everybody else saw it, even if Lauren didn’t realize it just yet. Anthony was persistent and their relationship flourished over the next several months over group dinner nights, study days, pho and boba dates, and nights out in downtown Seattle. They were inseparable.

Anthony took Lauren to Paseos, where they ate the messiest Cuban sandwiches ever. I mean food stuck in your teeth, juice dripping down your hands, sandwich falling apart kind of messy. They watched the sunset at Gas Works Park and ended the night roaming through the high-end Seattle neighborhoods. Lauren and Anthony left the date feeling so excited of what was to come of this relationship. It was months of them “dating” before they made things official. Anthony just assumed they were boyfriend and girlfriend. However, Lauren was direct and informed Anthony that he needed to “officially ask,” so of course he did and then they were officially boyfriend and girlfriend.

In June of 2017 came college graduation for Lauren, where she graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She moved to Ballard and began her first nursing job in the Burn, Plastic, and Pediatric Trauma unit at Harborview. This was a drastic change for Lauren and Anthony as they were no longer neighbors, no longer in college together, and Lauren was on a night shift schedule. Fortunately, their relationship withstood the challenge and they found ways to make their relationship work. Their favorite memories from this time period include, summer days exploring Seattle, home cooked meals experimenting new recipes, electric bike rides in Ballard, Lauren watching Anthony play soccer in the rain, weekend trips to Portland, and movie nights in. Winter of 2018 Anthony graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Engineering. Lauren wanted to move back to Portland and Anthony was open to the change. So, they went for it. In February, Anthony moved to Portland where he worked at David Evans and Associates as a transportation engineer. Long distance and the uncertainty of Lauren obtaining a job in Portland was definitely a challenge for them. They made the best out of it with weekend trips spent in Seattle and Portland and many FaceTime dates. With enough persistence Lauren landed her dream job at OHSU in the Emergency Department. Lauren was given very little notice to begin her job, therefore they had to secure an apartment right away. So, Lauren’s mom and Anthony looked at apartments together where they secured their first apartment in the South Waterfront. Memories of this time included weekly Blue Star Donut runs, quarantining, all things COVID, many date nights in binging their favorite TV shows, outdoor family “quarantine” dinners at the Walker residence, Anthony working from home, and Lauren working the front lines of the pandemic. Lauren and Anthony spent a year living in the South Waterfront apartments and then went on to buy a house in the neighborhood Lauren grew up in. Lauren and Anthony had been city living for almost 8 years and they were both more than ready to move back to suburbia, where parking was free, the neighborhoods had a sense of security, and the grocery stores were in close proximity. They have spent the last two years making their house a home. They have enjoyed finding a routine in the suburbs of Beaverton. For Anthony his weeks often include soccer games, cooking dinner once a week, video games with his college friends and working from home during the COVID pandemic. For Lauren her weeks often include working a stretch of 3 days at the hospital, shopping, Orange Theory, cooking, and spending time with childhood friends and new friends. During the weekends you can find Lauren dragging Anthony to estate sales, cooking new recipes together, gardening, coffee dates, Costco runs, weekly dates trying new restaurants in Portland, and Sunday recovery days.

After 5 years of dating and lots of reminders from Lauren (specifically Lauren’s Grandma), Anthony knew it was time to pop the big question. Anthony proposed on June 26th, 2021 during the hottest day of the year; a 115 degree day! Did Lauren know this was happening? Well of course, it’s Lauren – you can’t hide anything from her and of course she was prepared. Anthony took Lauren to Peninsula Park where they were supposed to be meeting their friends Maysa and Naji for a double date. Instead, Anthony (with the help of Maysa and Jessica) had arranged for a picnic to be set up for the two of them. Anthony asked the big question, and of course Lauren said yes. Lauren was ecstatic! I mean after all, it only took 5 years of dating for this moment to happen! Lauren’s family had set up a surprise engagement party with Anthony’s family where they ate, drank, toasted with oyster shooters and champagne and celebrated the beginning of the rest of their lives together.

Lauren has thoroughly enjoyed over a year of wedding planning. And yes, her Tik Tok FYP is all things wedding related – you could call it an obsession. She has carefully thought of all the details, both big and small. Anthony often asks Lauren what is she even going to do when the wedding is over?! It has been a second job for her. They plan on kicking off their married life with two weeks in Italy. Lauren and Anthony have the utmost appreciation for everybody in their lives and after 6 years they cannot wait to celebrate with you on August 20th!