Like many modern couples, it took a dating app to bring us together. *Shoutout to Hinge, we are looking for sponsorships at this time.* Although it didn't take long to realize all the threads of our lives that were bringing us closer to each other before we even met. I grew up in Tulsa where Adam would frequently pass through to see his family in Kellyville. Every year I would go to the summer camp where Adam's church often visited for retreats. All the time I spent visiting friends and exploring OKC, Adam was somewhere in the city. And after our first date, we discovered we had been working in the same neighborhood for the past three years, only a block apart never to meet because Adam only had eyes for Chimera (the coffee shop across from the bakery I worked in). We have long gone back and forth as to whether or not our casual coffee "date" was our first date but it was the day before Valentine's Day which I find romantic so we'll start there. Once I got off work from the bakery, I took a nervous walk across the street to meet Adam in the aforementioned Chimera, where my best friend and coworker at the time Amy continued to spy on us and send photos of our first date to our group text. I surprised Adam with a vegan treat that read: "Happy almost Valentine's to my almost Valentine!" *ha killed it*--he still hasn't eaten that treat. We chatted across our respective hot drinks until it was time for Adam to go. He walked me to my car where I half-expected/half-hoped for a kiss, but I would have to wait until our next meeting... We were eager for more time together so it was only a few days between our first two dates. Adam came to pick me up and greeted me with a houseplant that said: "Happy Valentine's--363 days early." We went to a bookstore, walked through The Gathering Place, and ate Chinese food. Adam would later find out that I am notoriously bad at keeping plants alive, but here we are over a year later and she is thriving! And so is our love.