We met in June of 2019 on Bumble - the dating app where she makes the first move - and luckily, Lauren did. After a few messages, we went on our first date playing mini golf where we learned two things: we liked each other and neither of us would be joining the PGA tour any time soon. Although, Lauren disagrees because she did hit a hole-in-one. Fast forward to the following week, our second date was at the Alameda County Fair, where we ate warm pickles, rode the Ferris wheel, and shared our first kiss. The next week, we attended several A's games together, where we cheered from the stands, watched fireworks, and figured out how many nachos two people can reasonably consume. The sparks continued to fly on the 4th of July - a night we stayed up talking until the sun came up. Less than three weeks after our first date, Taylor asked Lauren to be his girlfriend on July 10th and the rest is history - literally.

When the world went on lockdown, we were practically living together already. We figured if we could survive that without killing each other, we could get an apartment together. In that tiny apartment, we learned how to share a closet and one bathroom. With a lot of patience and a little luck, we survived that too.

After more than five amazing years together, Taylor planned a birthday trip to Kauai (our birthdays are only 15 days apart!) but unknown to Lauren, he had a much bigger surprise in mind.

The plan: dinner at Tidepools at the Grand Hyatt...but first, a pitstop at Shipwreck Beach for golden hour. With a little help from a "friendly photographer," Taylor led Lauren up to the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Lauren, distracted by the breathtaking views, turned around to find Taylor down on one knee with a wooden box, a ring more breathtaking than the view, and a forever kind of question.

Spoiler alert: She said yes.

Six years after that pivotal swipe, we are thriving in our first home and looking forward to what the future holds - including celebrating our love story with you!