Our first photo together! After some shared misery in a few classes at Bucktown Crossfit, I noticed Matt was wearing Michigan shorts, saw an opening and offered a friendly, "hey, Go Blue!" Several lingering conversations in the parking lot led to us seeing some live music, going to a Sox game and eventually a day trip to go fruit picking and hiking in the Indiana Dunes.
One afternoon early on, Lisa innocently invited me to happy hour at Cindy's after work. Little did I know I'd end up meeting a bunch of the CCC staff that night. This was our first time together at the Chicago Athletic Association, a place that's become a favorite of ours for quiet meals together, cocktails with friends, and entertaining out of town guests. Here we are that first night, on the rooftop deck at Cindy's with part of the skyline behind us.
This Michigan weekend was a big milestone for us - I got to meet most of Matt's U of M friends. We rented an RV along with Brian, Bobby, Kim and Sarah and everyone tailgated in the parking lot before the Michigan Vs. Minnesota game. We had a blast, in spite of some really severe thunderstorms. No rain delay was going to keep us from seeing the Wolverines play. Here we are in the stands at The Big House.
Our first Christmas! And maybe our first posed photo with Georgia? We had a great time decorating the tree and letting our own traditions take shape. Lisa finally got her Christmas at home, and Georgia found a new place to lounge around. Our canine friend fell in love with the tree skirt my mom made us, quickly claiming it as her own.
Not pictured: us wrestling a tree into a bed sheet and then tying it to the top of Lisa's Prius. Longest 1 mile drive we've ever made together, no doubt.
Once school was out for the winter break, we made the 8 hour drive up north to be with Matt's family during Christmas. This picture was taken on Whitefish Island - a small piece of land in the St. Mary's River. Matt and I took Luke and Cole on a day adventure to Canada. We saw a movie, had our fill on Tim Horton's, went for a hike in way below zero temperatures, had a killer snow ball fight and let a bird eat out of our hand. My eyelashes froze and the boys insisted on calling me Aunt Lisa even though it was only their second time spending time with me. It was a great day!
Go Blue! Here we are at Celtic Crown watching Michigan in the Elite Eight 2018. That March marked a big turning point in our relationship: Lisa and I decided to move in together! We spent the better part of the month condensing two (quite) full apartments into one, and began to merge our lives together. Georgia got another regular walking buddy, and (more significantly for her) a new roommate trying to win her affection through leftovers and extra treats.
Matt's good friend and old roommate from Ann Arbor, Florence, was getting married outside of Rome and I couldn't have been happier to be Matt's plus one! Neither of us had ever been to Italy and this was our first big International trip together. After a beautiful weekend at Flo and Andi's wedding, we spent the next two weeks exploring the country and eating all the fresh pasta and gelato we could manage. Matt was shockingly enthusiastic about eating dozens of anchovies. I was less thrilled. We had an incredible trip and can't wait to go back. Here we are, in front of the Colosseum.
After attending Elvis Night by chance in 2017 and having a great time, we decided to make it an annual thing. Here we are having a blast (and me.. sporting Sox apparel. Sorry fam. I still love the TIgers, honest.) The night features parachuting Elvis impersonators in a post-game concert, and we've had a blast at the last few. See you there in 2019!
Also, if you're thinking "that hat looks like something nachos would come in..." you'd be right.
After dating for over a year, we thought it was about time that our families meet each other. It is a long 8-hour drive from Chicago to Sault Ste. Marie, so we met half way in Interlochen, MI. Interlochen is pretty nostalgic for my family since my dad went to a year of high school there, I briefly went to summer camp there and my Grandma Pearl spent many summers there working at the Alumni cottage. My dad was excited to show everyone the campus. Deb, Erica and the boys drove down and my parents, brother, nieces and we drove up to spend some time together. The girls requested to drive with me and Matt. We endured HOURS of listening to Mischa, Romy and Anouk sing and dance along with the Mama Mia soundtrack. If I never hear it again, I'll be ok. It was a great weekend and we can't wait for our families to spend more time together!
Here we are as Lois Lane and Clark Kent at a friend's costume party! One of the many great nights out we had together in the fall of 2018.
We work pretty hard to strike a balance between clean eating and letting ourselves cut loose, but these photos are much more fun! (Check instagram for way too many videos of us lifting, if that's more your thing. I don't think we have any photos of us eating clean, but imagine a lot of vegetables on a plate and you're most of the way there.)
On Sundays during the school year, I teach piano lessons, Matt usually gets some studying done or meal preps for the week. This Sunday was no different except we spontaneously (or so I thought) decided to make a quick drive to Luisa's in Harbert, MI for one of our favorite brunches. After yummy brunch, we raced back to Chicago in time for me to teach my first piano lesson. After a few hours of lessons, I was kinda tired and made my way through the front door of our apartment. Matt asked me how lessons were, seemed normal to me. Then, as I was explaining the details of elementary piano challenges, our song started playing. And mid sentence, he interrupted me and took my hand and told me he had something to show me. Matt led me through our living room, past our Christmas tree to reveal a thoughtful little charcuterie and cheese plate he had put together, a bottle of champagne and a closed ring box on our coffee table! He got down on one knee and asked me to spend my life with him. I'm pretty sure all I could squeak out was "oh my god," over and over. Of course, I also managed to say yes.
We spent some time just enjoying the moment together on the couch. Matt had bribed Georgia away to our bedroom with a toy full of peanut butter. After we made some celebratory phone calls to our families, Matt told me he had made a reservation for late dinner at Avec, one of our favorite restaurants. Here we are at Avec, still reeling from such an exciting night.
Apart from the engagement night photos, these might be my favorite in this slideshow. After our first Christmas together, Lisa set out to knit us stockings for the Christmases to come. Here's the finished product, looking amazing hanging above our fireplace.
We later added a stocking for Georgia, too, though I'm not sure she really understands the significance of the whole thing.
Sometimes, you just need a vacation! This was spring break 2019. We both wanted to visit New Orleans and so we escaped Chicago and enjoyed a few days in the warm weather eating some delicious food, listening to plenty of live music and enjoying some great cocktails. Turns out, wedding planning is way more fun poolside. Traveling together is something we love to do and I can't wait for all the adventures to come!