IN 2006 MATT KANE LEFT ARIZONA WHERE HE HAD LIVED FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS, AND HEADED BACK HOME TO SANTA ROSA. ON HIS WAY, HE MENTIONED TO A FRIEND THAT HE WAS TURNING 25 AND HE KNEW SANTA ROSA WAS WHERE HE WANTED TO BE TO SETTLE DOWN AND FIND SOMEONE SPECIAL. WHEN HE JOINED THE 5TH STREET'S THURSDAY NIGHT SOFTBALL TEAM, HE MET LEEANNA AUSIELLO. THEIR FIRST INTRODUCTION WAS NOT ONE OF BUTTERFLIES AND GOOSEBUMPS. LEEANNA HAD JUST HAD HER WISDOM TEETH PULLED AND WAS TRYING TO PULL THROUGH A BUSY SHIFT THE VERY NEXT DAY. MATT SAYS HE WAS INTERESTED FROM DAY ONE, BUT HE MANAGED TO CALL HER CHIPMUNK WHEN HE PICKED UP HIS ORDER, WHICH ONLY MADE HER FEEL WORSE. SHE ENDED UP LEAVING EARLY IN PAIN AND A LITTLE MIFFED AT THE RUDE COMMENT. A FEW MONTHS LATER MATT KANE HOSTED THE ORIGINAL BEER OLYMPICS IN JULY 2006. LEEANNA WAS LATE ARRIVING TO COMPETE BECUASE SHE HAD JUST INTERVIEWED AND RECEIVED A JOB IN SAN FRANCISCO. MAYBE IT WAS THE PLETHORA OF KEG BEER, BUT SPARKS BETWEEN THE TWO FLEW. AFTER THAT IT WAS ALL OVER FOR THE TWO. MATT KNEW WHAT HE WANTED AND MADE A POINT TO SHOW UP TO EVERY SHIFT LEEANNA WORKED UNTIL SHE AGREED TO A DATE....
MATT TOOK LEEANNA BACK TO ARIZONA FOR SPRING TRAINING AND THE TWO HAD A ROMANTIC DINNER AT HIS FAVORITE ITLIAN RESTAURANT. OUT OF THE BLUE HE ASKED HER, "DO YOU REALLY SEE YOURSELF WITH THIS MAN RIGHT HERE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?" HIS WORDS IMMEDIATELY SENT CHILLS THROUGH HER AND SHE SAID YES. IT WAS THIS INSTANT THAT THE TWO KNEW THEY WOULD BE HERE NOW... SAYING "I DO."