Back in 2020 times were tough in the dating scene. As cringey as it is, both of us resorted to the dating app “Hinge” to keep things moving in that part of our lives. Turns out that Hinge’s slogan is “The app that’s designed to be deleted”. Amazingly, their slogan was true and here we are today so excited to marry each other. You know it’s love when the first conversation revolved around ranch dressing. On the morning of our first date, the swell at Black’s Beach was a 10/10, and Matt was tempted to bail and pick perfect waves over a breakfast burrito with Anna in PB. It must have been fate, as Matt chose the right thing to do, and they spent the morning together and learned about each other’s backgrounds. The date was going great, but then somehow unfolded into accidentally stumbling into a Pro-Trump vs. Antifa riot. We sprinted away in fear and grabbed another drink to laugh off what had just happened, and spent the rest of the night jamming out to the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 Soundtrack. Fast forward over the next few months we spent a lot of time meeting each other's friends and family and learning more about each other. It was winter at the time and we did some skiing and snowboarding, and traveling down to Mexico. Our first big trip together was after a few months together when we did a quick trip down to Sayulita, Mexico. We had so much fun, ate SO much food, and spent so much time laughing and smiling with each other. It was amazing. Time passed and Matt was overdue for a proper visit to Michigan. Although it was not Matt’s first time meeting the Thomas family Matt was quickly shocked by the Thomas family thriving in their element. Matt struggled to keep up with the energy, and all of the Thomas family slang. “It’s almost like they’re speaking another language” -Matt. Anyways, Matt came to appreciate the Michigan culture. He ate sliders, and drank LaBatt Blue Light all day everyday and loved every minute of it. The Thomas family also showed Matt how to play euchre, and took him on the annual Thomas family Glen Lake Trip. Eventually, Anna made the North County trek to move in with Matt in Oceanside. Our love for eachother was tested, but in the best way. We realized that we’re a perfect match, and our love for each other grew everyday. Matt also realized that his decor was not even close to meeting Anna’s expectations, and Matt’s college dorm room aesthetic of his condo came to an end. In Oceanside, Anna had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with the Richards family. They became family to Anna which has helped her a lot when she misses her family back in Michigan. Anna has been able to spend time with the Richards family traveling down in Mexico, up in the Sierras, or just a quick visit to the Richards house for dinner. Over the past few years we have spent a lot of our time traveling, hiking, going to the beach, going to weddings, exploring new recipes, surfing, and caring for our dog, Ricky. A normal weeknight for us includes walking Ricky, meal prepping, watching an episode of Jeopardy (Matt always wins) and going to bed at 9pm. We are CRAZY, and by crazy we mean crazy about each other. We’re so lucky to have each other’s loving and supporting families that have been such a great foundation for our marriage, and the best role models for our future together. We have both expressed to each other that one reason our love is so strong is because we have helped each other be a better version of ourselves. We help keep each other accountable with diet, exercise, volunteering in our community, work-life balance, and staying in touch with our friends and family. We have learned so much from one another, and we can’t wait to celebrate our love with our favorite people this summer!