Four years ago tonight, Matt and I were drawn together by equal parts good friends, not-so-good beer and the greatest place on earth, St. Bonaventure University.

It was the beginning of Spring Weekend, only the best weekend of the entire year. I was about to graduate; Matt was about to re-claim his title of “5 Street Beer Pong Champion.”

It was Thursday night. I was high rolling at The OP, slamming down $5 bills for 50 cent drafts. Matt was at his apartment, about to call it a night after too many drafts of his own.

A tease from a friend (I had told someone I thought “that Izzo kid was cute”) and a phone call later, Matt was on his way to the OP. And I was on my way to the bathroom, to check and make sure I didn’t look like I just drank $5 worth of 50 cent drafts. Good thing my Spring Weekend “PF Flyers” jersey was so fashionable – and that I was to wear it for the next four days straight. Oh, college.

Matt entered the bar. I was assured by her friends that yes, I looked fine…well, again, as fine as I could look in my PF Flyers jersey.

Matt walked up to me and extended his hand– a handshake perhaps? Nope. A friendly pat on the shoulder? Nah, that wasn’t what was happening.

No, this boy with big blue eyes,  a striped shirt and shaved head – my future husband! – showed his crazy joker side right off the bat – by reaching his hand out for me to kiss.

I laughed, smacked his hand down, tried not to be super awkward and then immediately slammed another $5 on the bar. It could be a long night.

And a long night it was. We drank, we laughed, we bar-hopped and swapped life stories. Matt even shielded me away from a bar scuffle (such a charmer, right?). He walked me home and asked if he could take me out on a real date the next day. I said as long as he doesn’t try and pull that hand-kissing crap again, I’d think about it. He  laughed, kissed me on the cheek and told me he’d call tomorrow.

I tried to play it cool and then ran upstairs to my apartment, where I totally had a dance party by myself (true story – CLUBHOUSE FRIENDS WHERE WERE YOU?) and anxiously awaited that my morning phone call.

Ten hours later, we were eating endless pancakes at Sprague’s. Two weeks later, I was visiting him in DC.

Two years later, we were engaged at sunrise on an Old Town gazebo dock.

And two months after that, we moved to DC together and began plotting the wedding of a lifetime. On September 3, 2011, we got hitched!

Yep, safe to say that four years later, we’re still keepin’ it classy. :)