We met in Graz, Austria—Daria was there for her Master’s, Joey for his internship—and somehow, we ended up as roommates. (Yes… it really does sound like our own little “How I Met Your Mother” story.) Our first trip together was to Venice. Somewhere between the canals and Aperol spritzes, it just started to feel like this could be something more. Not long after, life pulled us in different directions. Joey went back to Canada to finish his studies, and Daria headed to Singapore for an exchange semester. We decided to give long distance a try—and made it work, one visit at a time. Joey came to Singapore, Daria visited Vancouver, and we road-tripped through BC, meeting friends and family along the way (and realizing we travel pretty well together, even on long drives). Then came COVID, and like for many people, time apart stretched longer than we ever expected—about a year and a half that felt like forever. After finishing our studies and internships (Vienna for Daria, Vancouver for Joey), we knew what we wanted. A bit of paperwork later, Daria made the move to Canada. Now we’re building our life together in New Westminster with our golden doodle, Disco—spending our days enjoying good food, new adventures, time with the people we love, and summers traveling to Croatia.