I’ll start the telling of this saga by admitting that I, Matthew Hafer, am the one writing this, so some parts might seem a bit “biased”. That being said, everything written below is factually true and, if pressed, I would swear under oath on their legitimacy.

I met Morgan in High School (Go Panthers), and instantly had a close friend. In some combination of Devine Fate and our guidance counselors, our senior year we had 4 classes together. Naturally, being a gentleman, I would walk Morgan to the next class I had with her, and to the ones that I didn’t have with her, usually arriving a few minutes late to my own. The timing never worked out, and nothing between us passed friendship, but without realizing it, we had become a huge part of each other’s life. Time passed, and I moved to Texas to become a Cowboy or a Sailor, leaving my life in Tampa behind. Well most of it. I got periodic updates from Morgan and her friends at FSU having an incredible time. We stayed in contact, and both of us rooted for the other to make our dreams come true.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, I moved back home for the better part of the year, and Morgan and I started hanging out again. In fact, there wasn’t much to do in those months, so we ended up hanging out nearly every day for months. It was at this point, I realized something important had been missing from my life when I moved to Texas. Coincidentally, at the same time, TAMU’s academic offices realized a couple GPA points were also missing from my life. Needless to say, school didn’t work out the first time for me, but what I didn’t know is that this would end up being the biggest blessing of my life.

Somehow, I talked Morgan into going out on a date with me in June 2020 (she might have thought I was some sort of rugged bad-boy or something). We took my old man’s boat to a restaurant, where I quite literally shook, I was so nervous. We ended up getting rained out on the way there, and (I never told Dad this until now so sorry!) I accidentally beached the boat on our way back home. The Navy didn’t have any pontoons, and besides, it was fine, we ended up getting home safely with my head hanging, thinking I had blown it. But somehow, Morgan saw this anxiety-ridden, college-dropout who shouldn’t be trusted with heavy machinery, and knew I could become something I may have forgotten I could. There was a second date (we drove), and a third, then 10, and so on.

We both had each other’s backs from that point forward. I cheered her through nursing school, then, with a push from her, eventually got my bachelor’s degree at USF. I pack her lunches for her job, she calms me down after a rough day at mine. We got a house, a dog, and before I knew it, we built something amazing together. Along the way there were road trips, concerts, dancing, DIY projects, and so much more. Life brought obstacles and stress, but we always came out of them stronger. She even saved my life once, but more accurately she does that every day. I asked her to Marry Me on April 6th, 2025, on the same boat I nearly sunk 5 years before. And

she tackled me before she could even get out a “yes”.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story, and we look forward to celebrating with you in May, 2026.

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Hotel Haya

Hampton Inn & Suites Tampa/Ybor City/Downtown