We started dating in the Spring of year 2000. Initially what brought us together was our mutual interest in ballroom dancing. At the time, Lina was an officer of the University of Texas Ballroom Dance Club, while Mátyás took advantage of the Friday night practices that were open for all.

Taken in Knoxville on an amateur ballroom dance competition.

We took long walks on and around the university campus and Barton Creek trail. We discovered that we have similar interests and tastes. We liked to (and still do) talk about science, art, politics, our work among many other topics. We understood each other's humor and were glad to find that we can make one another laugh.

Throughout our relationship, we have encouraged and helped each other to excel and improve. We enjoy each other's successes and support each other in need. We both take our work seriously, but we also definitely like to have fun! We enjoy going to movies and plays, dancing events, concerts, hanging out with friends and just trying new things. We also love to travel and wish we could do more of it!

Taken in Boulder (Colorado) on our ski trip.

The first summer we were together, Lina was in Dallas (for the summer break). Even then, Mátyás was already willing to visit her there on several occasions and get to know not just her, but her family as well. After dating for almost two and a half years, we decided to move in together, much to the disapproval of Lina's parents. Well, they got used to the idea eventually. ;-) In 2003, Mátyás took Lina to Budapest, Hungary to meet his family and friends. We hope to go back there more frequently in the future.

Two years ago, we bought a house together and have since been working on making it our home. We look forward to continuing that process and building our future together. Currently, Mátyás is persuing his PhD in CS, while working full-time, and has a number of scientific publications to his name. Lina is holding part-time positions in a hospital and in a home infusion pharmacy. We are still enthusiastic about ballroom dancing and occasionally help out with teaching at local dance studios. We dance socially, but also look forward to returning to the competitive dance floor in the near future.

We are so excited to start the next chapter of our lives and hope you can help us celebrate this new beginning!

Updated on Sep 03, 2011 by Mátyás. Accessed 3677 times.