We met on OkCupid. I was smitten from the moment I saw her profile. In her first line, she described herself as a quirky geek. I had a feeling she was the one, and I messaged her, and the rest is history. -Andy

Oh, Andy certainly made the first moves. I was so nervous and shy, I could barely speak! We were talking at my dining room table. He sat at the table, and I stood across from him, leaning against the wall. "Can I kiss you?" I shyly nodded yes. He stood up, and crossed the span between us. He cupped my cheek, leaned down, and kissed me, and I... I... Melted... --Alex

"Hi, I love your profile! Geeky quirky sounds exactly like the kind of woman I'd like to meet. We both said we were geniuses. What field are you good at? I did quite well at my physics degree. I am actually a math tutor and would be happy to help you. What math class are you taking? Oh and if you need a gnocchi recipe I have a great one." -Andy

Both of our first dates were memorable, for quite different reasons. Our first date started in my silence and ended with me in a puddle. But our second date... Our second date was the two of us walking Reading Terminal Market for an afternoon. I shyly avoided physical contact, and Andy outrageously flirted with me. Our cat and mouse game was sweet, filled with giggles and teasing, blushing and smug grins. So memorable was this date, that we returned August 1st, 2021 when Andy proposed on one knee besides the flowers. --Alex

Video games: MtG:Arena, WoW, BG3, CIV5/7 Tabletop games: MtG, Dominion (with expansion packs galore), D&D Movies/TV: The Princess Bride, Marvel, Doctor Who, Outlander, Game of Thrones (and spin offs), For All Mankind, Star Wars, Star Trek, Murderbot, and Alex enjoys medical dramas the way I do the Lions. Occasionally we do non-fantasy SciFi things too... Discussion topics: Deep dives into history of politics, psychology, science, biology, and more. Books: High Fantasy, Fantasy, SciFi, and LitRPG (we highly recommend He Who Fights With Monsters!!). We listen to audiobooks on audible, except when our favorite authors (Shirtaloon, Matt Dinnamin, Pirateaba, or Raven's Dagger) release chapters on Royal Road, Alex reads them to me. She is currently reading me the Mistborn series when we have down time! Even our dreams are a game! We'll buy a lottery ticket, and play "The Lottery Game" where we discuss what and how we would use winnings from a lottery. It's a whole experience! -Andy and Alex

I'm not sure, to be honest. We fell quickly, that was very clear. From first text, to first meet, reading our earliest messages takes forever because we could not stop talking to one another. Anything and everything under the sun, we can't seem to run out of things to talk about. But he wasn't supposed to fall in love this hard, and I refused to fall in love at all, so it took us a little while to admit it. (That's a joke, it took us two weeks. And it was obvious we felt stronger even earlier.) -Alex

Hilarious... We met at the Cheesecake factory since it was Jules' favorite restaurant. Philip was very young, but teenage Jules spent the whole dinner teasing her mom. She was, quite frankly hilarious, but it was at Alex's expense. So I subtly asked if I was supposed to be laughing at the jokes, Alex assured me that when her kids made a joke I was absolutely allowed to laugh. And laugh I did, as Jules has a very sharp wit. At the end of the dinner, Jules commented she was surprised I had spent so much on dinner when it was not a special occasion. I was like, I am meeting you, this is a very special occasion indeed. -Andy

You know, I've had to think about this question. I couldn't figure out what to put. We've done so much... From road trips, to board games, to card games (MtG, I'm looking at you), to DND, to movies, audiobooks, me reading him books... trust me, the list keeps going... I really couldn't pick just one thing. But then, in writing this section, I realized, our favorite thing to do together is just BE together. Since day one, we have never been alone together where we didn't start talking. Even if we are hiding from everyone else, we have always been able to talk to one another. Even Andy, who is typically very quiet around others, talks quite a bit to me (and it's quite the compliment). Spending time together, just the two of us, is our favorite time of each day. -Alex

We are incredibly compatible in so many ways. Take our sense of humor. I will say something completely ridiculous, as a joke, and not only will she think it is funny, but she will say something ridiculous back that plays off of it, taking the joke further! In part because of this playful banter, we truly enjoy each other's company. When we go on trips together, the hours in the car, just the two of us, is part of the fun. I never thought I would be with someone of whose company I never tired, but that is what Alex and I have together. -Andy