We matched during the summer of 2020 on Hinge, a popular dating app that allows either party to reach out first, and requires multiple photos and question prompts in a person's profile. After initially bonding over being "scholar champions" (WashU's re-brand of student athlete) from Texas, we continued to exchange messages and grow closer. We decided to try and meet up in person, and then figured out we were, in fact, living in cities 90 minutes apart and caught feelings. Whoops. We eventually agreed to meet up in St. Claire, a midpoint town with a Dairy Queen and local park. We spent the afternoon talking and laughing, and from then on have continued to enjoy and learn more about each other every day.

Our first year together was tough because Chris was a new graduate in Houston interviewing and eventually working as a chemical engineer, while Caitlin was in her final year of her undergrad in St. Louis working on an economics/healthcare management double major and playing on the volleyball team. Although it was long distance, we did our best to spend intentional time together and actively communicate. We watched movies while chatting back and forth, played Minecraft and Call of Duty video games together, and stayed as engaged as possible in each others' lives. To this day, we value that year apart as it brought us closer as best friends and taught us communications skills which we might not have otherwise developed as quickly.

As you may be aware, we have two dogs named Susan and August. We adopted Susan in March of 2022 from the Almeda Humane Society in south Houston, 2 months after Caitlin moved to Houston to work full time and begin adult life. Susan, 4 months old at the time, came with that name and we kept it because it was too funny to change. We call her Susie, and she has always been our most faithful friend. She loves to run, especially to chase tennis balls and will even fetch them from ponds and pools. She is an independent woman, but at the same time has crippling separation anxiety eased only by her best friends August and Baxter (Janet and Steve Lorenz' dog).

We adopted August in October of 2023 from Special Pals shelter in Katy, Texas. We had debated getting a second dog for the year prior, and eventually decided it was the best time to get Susie a companion while she was young enough to play but we knew her well enough to determine a good fit. August, exactly one year old at the time, was the sweetest and goofiest dog you ever saw and had already captured the hearts of the entire shelter staff. Ironically named Baxter by the shelter, we picked him because of his easy going nature, sweet disposition, and playfulness with Susie when they first met. He and Susie are great pals, and they all run in a pack when at the Lorenz San Antonio house with Baxter. August and Susie are excellent coworkers for Caitlin when she works from home, and we could not love them more for all of the joy they bring to our lives.

After tying the knot, Caitlin will start her professional MBA at Rice University to hopefully graduate September of 2026. Chris will find his next position once his contract with Amazon expires, as he continues to gain new skills and experiences as a chemical and process engineer.