Lauren and Joey met for the first time in 2008 at Loyola Academy. They did not date or hang out too much during this time outside of the occasional "large social gathering" or ride to / from school courtesy of Joey's 2003 Pontiac Bonneville.

Joey was always intrigued by Lauren's red hair, natural beauty, unique personality, and amazing sense of humor. This was first evident Senior Year during "soaking wet day". Soaking wet day was Loyola Class of 2012's failed effort at a prank in which all students douse themselves in water prior to class, thus walking around school all day "soaking wet".

This prank received very minimal participation. Joey did not participate due to a first period test, but he did give several participants a ride to school that day, including Lauren. She was 1 out of 20 who actually participated (from a class size of 500+) and she took this this prank very seriously, with a puddle of water forming wherever she went the rest of the day. It was at this moment, Joey really saw something in Lauren.

Joey and Lauren's friendship continued to form during college. Joey attended University of Illinois in Champaign, IL while Lauren attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX. Although they attended different universities, they constantly hung out in the same friend group during holiday breaks and summers back in Chicago. Suddenly, during the summer going into Junior Year, this friendship began to blossom into something more.

At that time, Joey and Lauren shared a love for Country music and even more so, "Country Thunder". One might consider this music festival their first date. They started to officially date shortly after, maintaining a long-distance relationship and cherishing college visits and in-person time together.

Joey and Lauren continued to date after College graduation. Although they were able to conquer many hurdles that come with a long distance relationship, their first true test was directly ahead.

Joey loved the idea of staying in Chicago, getting an apartment with some buddies, and getting his travel fix through work and vacation time. Lauren loved the idea of moving to a new city, meeting new friends, and also traveling as much as she could through work and vacation time. Both of them got their wishes, with Joey moving to Wrigleyville with his 2 high school buddies that following spring and Lauren landing a consulting job in Washington D.C. that same fall.

Unfortunately, distance was too much of a hurdle to overcome this time around. But they both left the door open.

Fast-forward to 2020 and the world shut down. With that, many people decided to move back home. Lauren was part of this movement. Soon after this, Lauren and Joey connected again and they instantly hit it off like old times.

In a matter of months they were traveling together and exploring national parks near the West Coast. This evolved into an idea to pack up the car, book monthly air bnb's across the United States, and work remotely from different cities. This continued to evolve into a loving relationship built around adventure, growth, personal development, and quality time together.

Here we are 5 years later. The time has never been more perfect to officially tie the knot. We are so excited to celebrate our big day with you, and we are even more excited to celebrate amazing times ahead with you. Thank you so much for reading our story and being an instrumental part in our special day.

With Love,

Lauren and Joey