In December of 2015, Matthew was aimlessly swiping through Tinder when he came across a profile with a picture that just wouldn't load. Who was this mystery woman? Why wouldn't her picture load? Matthew's curiosity begged him to find out. He persistently clicked on the picture, and closed and re-opened the app several times, and wondered how much longer he would attempt to view this glitchy profile. And then, it finally loaded. And boy, was he glad. Over the next couple of months, there were several late-night conversations and a couple of dates at Waffle House (yes, our first date was at Waffle House). Then, on March 1st, 2016, Matthew officially asked Stefanie to be his girlfriend. And so their story continued. Since then, there have been Christmas vacations to far away places every year (Quebec, Iceland, and Puerto Rico, to name a few); several trivia nights at Linda's, Growler Grlz, and the Hot Tin Roof; degrees from UNC and Duke; and two bouts of fieldwork in Amboseli, Kenya. Now, Matthew and Stefanie live just south of Ithaca, NY, and they have enjoyed developing several new friendships, hosting hot tub parties, and exploring the gorges and waterfalls that surround them. Matthew is completing his post-doctorate at Cornell as a Klarman Fellow, and he hopes to gain a faculty position somewhere to continue his social research with mice. Stefanie recently finished her clinicals as an occupational therapy assistant student, and she has been accepted into the M.S. O.T. program at Utica University for the Fall 2023 semester. She ie excited about her path to becoming a registered occupational therapist, and she is open to many areas of practice, including hippotherapy, community health promotion, palliative care, and working within homeless shelters and refugee centers. Matthew and Stefanie are thrilled to celebrate this next chapter of their lives with you!

In July of 2022, Matthew and Stefanie traveled to Costa Rica to attend the annual Animal Behavior Society Conference. During their stay, they headed to Vista Los Suenos Adventure Park for a private horseback riding tour through the transitional rainforest. They rode up to a beautiful, secluded waterfall, where Matthew had planned to propose. Many are aware of what happened next, but to keep it short: Stefanie slid down the waterfall, almost drowned, and came up to the surface to find a large sign that said, "Will you marry me?" But it's okay - they laughed immediately, and Stefanie still said yes, albeit between several coughs and gasps for air. But to be honest, when it comes to Matthew and Stefanie, who would expect anything else?