It was June 2015. During Christine's summer break from grad school, she came back to Cincy for her high school reunion. Mind you, Christine went to an ALL GIRLS' Catholic high school. Where did a boy, who would years later become her fiance, come into the picture?! Well, that is the beginning of this enchanting love story... Christine and her high school classmates went to an after-party at a local bar. They danced and partied. She asked the bartender to change the channel to the Stanely Cup, which is equivalent to football's Super Bowl for ice hockey. She was rooting for the Chicago Blackhawks to beat the Tampa Bay Lightnings. Spoiler alert: Blackhawks won. She was so happy that she congratulated everybody she came across. Addison walked into the bar wearing a Chicago Blackhawks t-shirt. Christine saw a fellow fan, approached him, and was quickly smitten by his charm. As her friends were leaving to go downtown, she gave Addison her number and told him to come find her. And do you know what? He did find her. They haven't left each other's sides since, for the last 10 years. And, they have that Blackhawks shirt framed.

Wekiwa Springs State Park, because we "trauma-bonded." In May 2016, in the hot, humid and muggy, swamp weather of central Florida, Christine and Addison decided to go for a hike. Enthused and confident, Christine, who had been living in the area for 6 years (undergraduate and grad school) "knew" how much hydration and sustenance they needed to complete a 13-mile sandy hike. Needless to say, she completely underestimated...

Walking our goldendoodle, Bodhi, in the sun, rain, or snow is their favorite activity. Early on, it struck us how easy and natural it was to be in each other's company. We feel our relationship is a neverending conversation and joyful walk that we get to have. Every day, we look forward to walking Bo together.

Our trip out to Moab, Utah in summer 2021 was our most memorable trip. While hopping between Arches and Canyonland National Parks, we lived out of a rented van, which had troubles from the beginning. We went out West during a heat wave to the middle of the desert that became so dry the land caught on fire. It was so hot, we had to trade in our van and squeeze into a motel for air conditioning a night. We had to troubleshoot in the heat together and that showed our true colors. We survived and are stronger for it!

Besides valuing our time together with each other and Bodhi, we value spending time outdoors. Over the past 10 years, we have sunbathed on South Carolina beaches, walked through 6 National and 2 International parks, and regularly visit our local parks. We value adventure and trying new experiences like trying new foods at Jungle Jim's together.

We knew we were the one for each other after the first few weeks of dating. Small instances, such the books we read in common, knowing the lyrics to The Phantom of the Opera musical, loving the quiz game show, Jeopardy, connecting on the values we shared, and being able to just be us together...it created such an instant familiarity and sense of connection. Christine said, "I love you!" first because she knew.