October 2013. Stephanie started a new job in a medical office in Islip, NY. Matthew's mom, Diane, started working there also a few months later. They shared in training, lunches, and were friendly with one another. Diane thought secretly to herself "I wish my son dated a sweet, nice girl like Stephanie" but at the time nothing was said. Fast forward to the beginning of 2015 when Stephanie and her boss, Kathy (the matchmaker!) were having a conversation about 'life and love'. Kathy stated to Stephanie "I have the perfect man for you.....Diane Meister's son, Matthew". At that time Diane no longer worked at the office. Kathy called Diane one night and told her "I have someone perfect for Matt". When she told Diane who, Diane started laughing because in the back of her mind she always wished that. Stephanie's phone number was sent to Matt and long conversations of texting back and forth led to their first date at Starbucks. They talked for hours beyond hours (Matt almost missing his train for work) and they discovered how similar their families and values were, their shared love for traveling, food, country music and the great outdoors. They want to thank Kathy for igniting the spark and making each other's dreams come true! <3

September 2016. As our relationship blossomed we shared in our love for adventure and outdoor activities including hiking, kayaking, biking, horseback riding, fishing, and hunting. We had made a bucket list which included two special things. One- to visit every national park in the United States. Two- no matter how busy life gets, every year we will take an adventure-packed vacation together. For September 2016 we planned a "New England" road trip. Matt decided this was going to be the perfect time to pop the question! In June 2016 he had purchased Stephanie's dream ring and had asked Dad and Mom D's hand in marriage. The parents' and siblings all knew the big day...Saturday, September 24, 2016.

Our road trip started in Connecticut and first stop was Brattleboro, Vermont. An overnight there we enjoyed the beautiful scenery and learned everything we need to know about peace, love, hippies, and maple syrup in a quaint town. Thursday, September 22nd we arrived in Bar Harbor, Maine and checked into our rented vintage Airstream trailer at Bar Harbor/Oceanside Kampground of America. It was a gorgeous site, overlooking the water and coastal mountains. As we unpacked Matt became very nervous because Stephanie's ring was in his backpack that she kept moving around as they were getting settled in. Unknowingly, Matt locked Stephanie out of the trailer while he decided he couldn't wait for the top of Cadillac Mountain to propose on Saturday. He placed the ring on the counter in the trailer and Stephanie walked back and forth about 4 times without even noticing it. Finally he said, "Hey babe, did you put this here?" and Stephanie turned around and was in shock to what she saw. Many happy tears followed as Matt got down on his knee and asked Stephanie to spend forever with him. She shouted "YES!" and the night followed watching the sunset on the shore and calling everyone to share the great news! Mom's and Dad's were just as surprised that it happened earlier than planned. Our amazing vacation included exploring and hiking Acadia National Park, eating blueberry-everything, and discovering a deep new love for Bar Harbor. We found our distant future retirement spot! Our road trip ended in Cape Cod, Massachusetts where we stood in a cozy cabin and reminisced about our best trip yet. We were so excited for our first moments as each other's fiancé's and the road together to husband and wife!