On a cold pandemic winter day in December 2020, the world was quiet. And yet, it was Christmas time! On December 13th, we matched on Hinge. Before we even met in person, we spent the week getting to know each other through voice notes, late-night phone calls, and very long paragraphs at times (lol). The only restaurant open was in Burlington, so we made the long drive over for our first dinner date. Over plates of pasta and pitchers of sangria, we laughed and talked for hours before walking down the quiet streets twinkling with Christmas lights. The world may have been on pause, but that night, everything felt alive. On December 26th, 2020, we made it official, and it’s been history ever since, gallivanting from cozy yurts/cabins to visiting our roots and embracing each other's cultures. In December 2024, with the same magic of Christmas in the air as the night we met, I asked Shagufta to marry me. And now, five years later, we’re ready to spend forever together.