It all began on the fateful night of December 24, 2015. Was it a Christmas Miracle? No… it was the Matzo Bash.

Amanda and Jason’s parents had been friends for decades, but the kids had surprisingly never really met (unless you include Jason’s 3rd birthday party). Fast forward to the winter of 2015, when both sets of parents decided it made sense to get together as families. The eight of us descended on an Italian restaurant in Evanston where Amanda and Jason first met. Jason thought Amanda was cute and Amanda thought Jason was cute AND “mysterious” (which turned out to be a strong misjudgment). Amanda’s brother Matthew mentioned to Jason that he and a group of friends were going to a party on Christmas Eve at a club in downtown Chicago and invited Jason to join. Jason said it sounded fun, and Amanda abruptly exclaimed that she planned to attend as well.

That night at the event the drinks were flowing, the music was bumping, and the flirtations between Amanda and Jason were palpable. As the night progressed, Amanda and Jason quickly discovered their mutual love of Justin Bieber’s music and non-traditional dance moves. Jason courageously nudged Amanda and said that if the DJ played Justin Bieber next, she had to dance with him. Amanda responded that if the DJ played Justin Bieber next, he had to kiss her. Leave it to the Biebs and the DJ, but it was truly a win-win scenario that played out perfectly!

Amanda and Jason have tested (and proven) that they can go the (long) distance and cannot wait for the adventures to continue.

Things to Do

Chicago Architecture River Cruise

Millennium Park

Lincoln Park Zoo

The Art Institute of Chicago