We first met as we opened our adjacent lockers on our first day of dental school in July of 2015. After a few months of studying together for exams and getting to know each other, Matthew laid his heart out to Mia in a crowded bar in the Marina during the school Halloween party. Matthew was dressed as a convincing Tapatio man while Mia was a ladybug. After careful consideration of the gravity of our relationship given our goals of succeeding in dental school, we decided to let our feelings lead the way :)
Our relationship through dental school cemented our foundation of respect, kindness, and unconditional support for each other. We leaned on each other through the harder parts of school and always made time to laugh and enjoy each other's company. We made some great friends along the way too!
Even though Matthew was born and raised in Kansas, he has grown a love of the ocean that rivals Mia's! We use any excuse to get out to the coastline and play in the water. We have spent the years exploring beaches in Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Mendocino, Bodega Bay, Big Sur, Carmel, Orange County, Point Reyes, Ocean Beach, Malibu, Catalina and LA. Matt loves to spearfish and Mia loves to freedive along him and lookout for sharks!
We have recently fallen in love with backpacking and exploring the Sierras as much as possible! We have camped and backpacked in Tahoe, Mammoth, Russian River, Yosemite, Catalina, Tomales Bay, and Sequoia/Kings Canyon areas with friends and family.
In September of 2021, we visited one of our favorite cities- Carmel by the Sea. We spent the morning biking around the coast and then decided to visit the beach. After playing frisbee for a while, Matthew threw one wayyy high in the air so Mia had to turn around and run far to retrieve it. Once she finally caught it, she turned around and Matthew was down on one knee with a beautiful ring in his hand! After many happy tears and phone calls to friends and family, we had a beautiful dinner in town to celebrate. We were on cloud nine and excited to celebrate our next chapter together!
In June of 2020, we moved in together in Oakland while Mia started her Endodontic Residency and Matthew continued his career as a general dentist. We loved living together for the first time in our beautiful little apartment! Matthew helped Mia get through the stress of residency and we loved living close to both Mia's parents and Matthew's family. Mia graduated residency in September of 2022 and is now working as an endodontist with her father in Pleasant Hill.
Matthew decided to further his dental education and started his Prosthodontics residency in June of 2022. He is currently living in LA as a USC Trojan! His rigorous program is 3 years long as he learns the complicated art of this advanced specialty. We are living long distance between Santa Monica and Martinez as we both pursue our career and educational opportunities. Luckily, the distance isn't too far and Mia is racking up southwest points with all the travel!