They had their first date at Mark’s apartment in West Des Moines, and Megan was immediately impressed by Mark’s handsomeness, quick wit, and cooking skills. She even pretended not to see when Mark spilled cornstarch all over his kitchen because he was nervous. Mark was blown away by how fun and easy their conversations were, and he obviously thought she was very attractive. As they reminisced about college, Megan accused Mark of being one of those students who stole the good study rooms on the third floor of the library during finals week. However, Mark confessed he did not realize the library even had three floors. By the end of the night, they had already nailed down plans to see each other the next week.

The next few months included lots of time together as Megan worked at Des Moines University for a year. In the year after, the two of them then had to settle for seeing each other only on weekends as Megan went on monthly rotations across the Midwest. Being as laid back as he is, Mark enjoyed traveling to each location, even wishing Megan had stayed in Kansas City a little longer so he could reap the benefits of their local BBQ. After matching at Mayo Clinic for her Anesthesia residency in 2022, Megan and Mark got to experience the craziness of the housing market boom as they bought a house in Rochester, MN and moved there in June.

Fast forward to November of 2022 and Mark and Megan went on vacation to Manhattan Beach, CA. This was a special beach town for the couple as they had traveled here after The Match in March. Considering he was extra subtle in telling her to go "pamper yourself, maybe get your nails done" prior to their trip, Megan was wondering if this would finally be the time when Mark popped the question.

The couple had dinner reservations at a restaurant near their favorite parking lot. The benches overseeing that lot provided a view of the ocean, beach, and the tightest parking stalls for the worst drivers. Mark suggested they venture to their favorite bench to watch the sunset prior to their reservation. He tried his best to hide the engagement box in his pocket. As they were about to sit down, Mark got down on one knee and tried to tell Megan how he felt about her. He couldn’t quite get the words out as Megan repeatedly exclaimed “nuh uh!?” when she saw Mark with the most beautiful ring. Mark was eventually given confirmation that she in fact wanted to marry him, and they spent the rest of their vacation engaged.