It was a warm, sunny day in late September when Maria and Matt met. They connected the good old fashion way - on a dating app - and spent that first date the only way they could have - at a bar, watching Penn State beat up on the Central Michigan Chippewas, drinking orange crushes and eating nachos.

This set the tone for what would be a date that never ended.

They quickly started seeing each other regularly - sometimes in DC, sometimes in Alexandria - and soon discovered that they were equally obnoxious dog parents, and their puppies even had the same name, save an extra “L”: Lio and Lilo.

It was meant to be.

Aside from the backgrounds they shared, both saw something special in the other. For Matt, he saw someone who was independent, thoughtful, and the most genuine person he had ever met. Maria was someone he saw cared deeply for others, worked hard to help her patients, her family, and friends, and even perfect strangers, and had a perspective on life that was rare for the DMV - that the qualities of one’s life are how you treat others, not the title of your job. She was easy to love and hard to be apart from.

After almost giving up on dating in the DC area several times, Matt unexpectedly seemed to be everything Maria ever dreamed about - including an excellent person. Matt’s genuine nature, kind heart and inspirational mentality showed through on the very first date. Maria even had the thought that day that “this could be the one”. :)

The two little families soon combined, and now they are about to formally become one!