After matching on Tinder in the spring of 2018, I invited Amber over to eat tacos and watch Pretty Little Liars in the Hadley Village apartments at the University at Buffalo. Even though I had an early research presentation the next morning, we stayed up late getting to know each other and immediately felt a strong connection. 6 days later, we were in a relationship and spending as much time with one another as possible before Amber graduated from UB. Over the next two years we continuously demonstrated our commitment to one another through long distance while Amber completed her MPH program at George Washington University and I continued the pursuit of my Ph.D. at UB. We would meet up every few weeks, often driving 4+ hours each way to meet at a central point in Pennsylvania for the weekend. We explored many different random towns and cities on these trips, but the most rewarding part was seeing each other after weeks of missing one another. On those trips it felt like we were the only two people in the world; all of the worries, stress, and difficulty of our graduate programs melted away when we were reunited. We finally moved in together at the start of the pandemic, which felt incredibly rewarding and comforting during a time of great uncertainty around us. Though the pandemic has been isolating and incredibly challenging at times, I have been so thankful to go through it with my best friend, soul mate, and soon-to-be wife by my side. We have grown together so much over these last 4 years and I look forward to continuing to write the rest of our story together.