Lori and Ben met on Tinder on March 8th, 2016. Ben had been using Tinder for several years, while Lori had just downloaded it - making Ben her first date! When Ben realized that he had met the woman of his dreams - a woman who wasn't yet jaded from spending years trying to find love on dating apps - he encouraged Lori to jump ship with him. Lori went on one more date after that, but it was not meant to be (we hope he's doing well!)

Ben moved into Lori's Ditmas Park, Brooklyn apartment during the summer of 2016. They enjoyed several happy years in Brooklyn, splitting time between running in Prospect Park, having brunch at The Farm on Adderly (RIP), and working on their respective graduate degrees (Ben mostly procrastinated and cuddled with their dogs).

During the summer of 2018, they made the decision to break their lease and move to a studio on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The neighborhood provides easy access to Central Park, the Hudson River, and several subway lines. They've been Manhattanites ever since, but are excited for whatever the future holds.

Proposal

Ben proposed to Lori on April 6th, 2022, in Waxahachie, Texas. On their last day in town, the two of them went on a morning run in downtown Waxahachie. Ben had a ring in his pocket, waiting to see if the opportunity to propose would emerge. When they found a tree-lined scenic trail, Ben faked an injury and got down on one knee like a total cornball. When Lori went to go check on him, he got the ring out and proposed. Luckily, she was looking forward to spending the rest of her life with this cornball, and she said yes!