When did you know? Adam: The first conversation I had with the woman who was to become my wife, I knew that I had met someone special. We met on an early spring day in Washington, DC, the kind of afternoon where chilly winds compete with the warming sun and despite wanting to unbundle from the winter, it’s a bit too cold to stay outside for long. From the moment I met Brittani, she was everything her friends and family know her to be –charming, selfless, beautiful, full of passion for the people she loves. Brittani: For me it was that there was kindness in his eyes and a sense of warmth. Adam was genuine, and talked to me as if I was the most important person in the entire world. I liked that he loved music and how he would send me songs throughout the day even when he was busy at work. I received many songs every single day throughout the first year we dated. Adam loved having deep conversations and I realized how much I missed that in my dating life. What made your relationship special at the beginning? Adam: Cultivating intimate relationships with a diverse network of people, it was easy to see early on that Brittani’s Michigan roots and Midwestern values aligned with my own. When I met her family, I was surprised to find that she already had a brother-in-law from the Mountain State. In our first months of dating, as COVID-19 ravaged communities and isolated us from what we used to collectively define as our “normal lives,” Brittani and I found a home in one another. We went on dates where we packed a picnic and went to the park and other dates where we got take out food and ate it in the car. The reality of living in a way that was disconnected from our former routines and many of the people we had interacted with before helped us focus more intently on one another. Brittani: I love that we built our relationship the old school way. We talked about what we liked and what we don’t. We talked about our fears, the future, the past, and family. I think the unfortunate part is we both understood what it’s like to lose the people we love most. Through our collective grief, we were able to cut deep into what we wanted from life and what we wanted from our partner. It was life changing. What was unique about your relationship? Adam: These first few years have had their share of trials, including the death of Brittani’s father Hans, and the large void created from grieving such a profound, wise, level-headed man. This mirrored the death of my own father Jay, who occupied a similar role in my family and passed away about 18 months before Brittani and I met. The adversity has helped us to better appreciate the good times and experiences we’ve had welcoming new members into our family. Brittani: He is always so strong through all of life’s ups and downs. Adam allowed me to be my true weird self and that was freeing. We say “I love You” throughout each day and we mean it every time. It’s truly special! How did you know that they were “the one”? Adam: It was always easy for Brittani and I to be authentic with one another and accept one another for who we are. Emotional intimacy with each other is natural for both of us. Brittani: I always knew that if you are with the right person, you can go through all of life’s trials and tribulations and come out the other side even stronger. That is what makes the happy stuff so incandescently happy for me. Now, I know I’m with someone who will go to battle with and for me. What has been a special moment for you both over the years? Adam and Brittani: These past few years have also included unbounded joy. The births of our nephews Xavier Bozhidar, Pilot, and Sterling, and watching them grow up, have been gifts that neither one of us could have dreamed up on our own.

Adam: I’m looking forward to the Washington Nationals coming out of their rebuild…Actually, I’m looking forward to hosting a big party with the woman that I love and starting our life as a married couple together. Brittani: I’m looking forward to professing my love in front of everyone we know. We’re already a unit and we are already experiencing life together. I am inspired by the act of showing everyone how much we love each other, and how we plan on walking the earth together and making it a better place. Now we stand on the precipice of something that is very old, yet very new. A wise old priest once told Adam, “marriage is saying yes to the yes.” We will make our vows to one another every day by practicing loving presence set against the backdrop of life’s trivialities. We invite you to be with us to witness this sacrament, an outward sign of an inward movement toward one another, and ultimately toward God.