Matthew: He's working on his version of events. It will be really special. Mariam: There's a clear vision I have in my mind of the night I fell in love with Matt. It was the Winter of 2003 and I was sixteen. We sat together into the morning hours drinking cheap beer on a musty couch in his rather unkempt basement apartment. There was a rowdy group around us, but in my memory we are alone. I remember him telling stories about his family in upstate NY, the farm he grew up on, and in particular his brother Geep whom he loved dearly. I was touched by his genuine and kind heart. His dreamy blue eyes didn't hurt either, but don't tell him I said that. Immediately I felt I had known him for a lifetime and that I wanted to know him for a lifetime more. We dated briefly then, but it soon became clear it was not our time so we went separate ways. Even after a decade of growing apart I still had feelings for him, so when I had the opportunity to re-kindle a relationship I took my chance. Some claim I may have even subconsciously gotten a dog so that I had an excuse to call him after all that time. I'm adamant that's false, but I'll let you be the judge! Fourteen years after that night on the couch and Matt proposed. I couldn't be happier. Our marriage will be our promise to each-other that we will never let the other go again, no matter what life sends our way.

Matt brought the engagement ring to Costa Rica on our first dog-free vacation ever (it was pretty great). Apparently he carried it around for days just waiting for a naturally "right" moment, risking getting it nicked multiple times. On this particular day we hiked through the jungle to a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole. Unbeknownst to me he had the ring precariously placed on his own finger when he jumped in the seemingly bottomless pool. Of course I was feeling cheeky and trying to egg Matt on to chase me around. Meanwhile he was planning his proposal and treading water. He called me over to him and I swam over and dunked him under the water. Matt didn't put up an ounce of fight, I was surprised and disappointed at how easy it was to push him down. I swam away trying to get him to chase me again. He seemed perturbed and he called me back over to him. Reluctantly I swam back, he pulled a ring out of the water and asked me to marry him. I'll admit I was pretty confused. My first thought was that he found a ring somewhere when he jumped in and was joking around. My brain started to put things together slowly, of course I said "yes." After celebrating he made sure to point out that I almost caused him to drop the ring into the abyss of the swimming hole. Just when I dunked him under the water he had taken the ring off his finger and was about to bring it above the surface. He didn't fight back because he was trying to hold onto the ring with both hands! Of course we were relieved he hadn't dropped it. The ring is a beautiful black diamond, as Matt put it so sweetly during his post-proposal pout-session it is "black like my heart." He knows me so well!