Though we've known each other for many years, our romance began with a simple question, "Do you want to sleep in my bed tonight?" What began as an invitation to find succor and rest on each other's arms grew into a shared dream. We dreamt of a garden, of medicine and food for body and heart. As we lay under the roof and stars, two spirits reached in the same direction, and seeing we were headed toward God herself in the same way, we knew this was the shared journey of a lifetime. We will be taking the last name Gardener. The garden has become our monastery, our haven. The land and the nonhuman world have fed Aneirin and Tarsis since we were born. Now, we meet the world with steady hands: weeding, planting, watering. We nurture and are nurtured. With Tarsis' penchant for structure and AJ's perceptiveness, we will continue to build this relationship as steadily as we have built our yard of green-blooded friends. Daily attention, patience, and a willingness to change the plan based on what is best for the root system are sure to serve us well. We have faith in this dream, our romance, and know it will fruit until we go from sleeping in our bed made of linens to our bed made of dirt.