Our love story begins like any good romantic comedy, with a true meet-cute. Our first run-in was a literal run-in, as Claire and Raya were on a run in the neighborhood and ran into Lars in the front yard.

The next day we matched on a dating app - technically a friend of a friend of a friend stole Claire's phone and sent a note to Lars on a dating app. Lars was quite smitten with the message from the unbeknownst stranger, and he asked Claire to go for a walk later that week. We (including Raya) metup for the walk, and one mile turned into two miles turned into a very long walk. That was followed up by Date #2, a picnic in Gasworks (where we both became brutally suburnt). And the deal was really sealed a few dates down the line when we discovered our mutual love of Jeopardy.

Claire and Lars spent time with each other's families (especially Lars' 10-year-old son, Baker) and friends. Many hours and days were spent at Little League games around Seattle, trips to the Midwest, and drives up to Everett for dinners with the Tangens. After a year of short-distance dating (3 blocks apart), Claire moved into Lars' and Baker's house (please don't tell my Grandma).

In December 2023, Lars proposed to Claire at 6:30am on a Wednesday with a ring inside a Lego Advent Calendar (something she was far too obsessed with than any adult should be).

We just feel very lucky to have found each other and are so excited to start this next chapter -- in addition to this wedding, we moved into a new house in May!

If you made it this far, we're impressed. But that also means you love us enough to read this diatribe, so you're likely an important part of our story too. We're so grateful for the love and support of each one of you, and we can't wait to celebrate with you in February!