It's a coronavirus love story! We were introduced by Matt's pastor, Alton, and Whitney's sister, Jaime in February. Whitney was still living in New York City, so we had been talking on the phone for a few weeks trying to plan when we would meet in person for the first time. Meanwhile, Jaime and her family had planned a spring break trip to NYC in mid-March. As they were driving there, attractions started closing and events were being cancelled, so by the time they arrived in NYC, they had made the decision to return to Ohio the next day. Whitney's school was closed by that point too, so she hopped in the car and drove back to Ohio with them! We went on our first date the night Whitney arrived (Skyline and Topgolf!), Jaime's family graciously accepted Matt into their quarantine, and the rest is history! It's not lost on us how blessed we are to experience all of this during a time of so much uncertainty, and we are thankful to God for using this crazy time to bring us together sooner than we expected!

Matt proposed on Whitney's birthday, so the birthday plans were a nice cover for what were really proposal/engagement party plans! The plan, as far as Whitney knew, was to spend the day together before going over to her brother Scott and sister-in-law Leah's house for a family party. We went to brunch, got a few swings in at the driving range, and then headed downtown to Devou Park, which has amazing views of the Cincinnati skyline. Matt laid out a blanket for some drinks (that we never got around to drinking), and pulled out one last birthday gift. Inside was a View-Master, a toy you probably played with as a kid (see below)! Each slide was a different picture from the course of the last few months, including some basketball one-on-one action shots and our homemade prom. The last picture was of Matt on one knee with the ring, which finally clued Whitney in to what was going on! She really didn't suspect anything because Matt played it so cool all day :) Matt popped the question, and everyone around us clapped while Matt's sister Jessica and brother-in-law Scott took pictures! Matt said he didn't tell anyone about the proposal other than Jessica and Scott, so Whitney tried to devise a plan for how to tell everyone waiting at the birthday party that we were engaged. But once we pulled up to Scott and Leah's house and Whitney saw more cars than she was expecting, she finally realized that everyone from both of our families was in on it, and we spent the rest of the night celebrating. Best birthday ever! :)