Our story begins during the summer of 2017 when both of our protagonists found themselves in similar situations but - for now, separate timelines.

Megan having recently graduated from college, beginning her career in annual giving/fundraising, Mark heading into another summer working at Finance Factory after graduating from the same college as Megan 5 years prior suddenly found themselves "single and ready to mingle" for the first time in some while and were more than ready to see what that was all about.

While most of their contemporaries had already experienced the phenomena that is online dating (Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, Christian Mingle, etc...), Megan and Mark had yet to take part and as such, they set up their profiles.

Now, it is important to reiterate that, neither were looking for anything serious or long term. In fact, they just began using Tinder and had not gone on any dates and fully expected to spend some time learning the ropes, playing the field and just enjoying their single lives for a bit. Needless to say, the algorithm had a different plan...

Mark decided to lead with a newish picture taken by some friends at a recent party, a group picture of himself and his close friends (to show he wasn't a total weirdo) and, last but definitely not least, the classic guy-with-fish picture (demonstrating resourcefulness and the ability to feed a partner).

Megan took a similar approach, solo shots, pictures with friends, etc...but, what stood out to Mark most when he stumbled upon her profile was her bio. She was clearly funny and stunningly beautiful. So it is no shock that he swiped right without hesitation before going about his night.

To Mark's surprise, they matched and he was able to chat with her through the app. They connected instantly, the conversation felt like talking to an old friend and after a few formalities, Mark decided to throw Megan for a loop. His next reply read: "Okay, you don't seem like a serial killer so, here's my number: xxx xxx xxxx" Unbeknownst to Mark at the time, Megan is a total weirdo and loves all types of crime/serial killer podcasts and so (he believes), this little joke must have caught her attention, cause damn if it didn't work!

Megan and Mark started texting on August 1st and have the same thread running to this day. Fun fact: Mark turned 27 on the 2nd of August, Megan's age filter was set to a max age of 26!

A few days and a ton of texts later, they had their first date at the old Greene Turtle off York Rd and even had their first kiss after! It was raining so Mark brought Megan's car around for her but, she was unable to make it go forward. Worried something was wrong when she did not pull away, Mark jogged over to her car to check. All was fine, had put the parking brake on after pulling it around out of habit (thanks Dad), and Megan never really used it. After they finished laughing they began to say their goodbyes again but this time, having a little more courage, Mark shot his shot and the rest is history.

A bunch of stuff happened in between then and now of course, they moved into their first home together, traveled, adopted their first child (dog), weathered a pandemic, and welcomed their first niece. But recently, and the reason for explaining all of this to you, sweet reader, Megan and Mark decided to make it official and see the algorithm's choice to it's conclusion. They could not be more excited to celebrate that decision with you on August 27th!