My sister Jackie is not someone who calls me unless it's important. So I took her more seriously than most when she called me in February 2014 to tell me that she went on a date with a guy who's perfect for me. "He's an engineer who makes his own jerky!" She shared, excitedly. This value prop seemed odd; as a vegetarian PhD student in engineering, I spent most of my time with engineers and vegetables. Regardless, I agreed to text him back if he reached out. Poor confused Donald took the leap of faith and texted me, saying something like "your sister insisted that I connect with you, and though this is awkward, most funny stories start with awkward." Neither of us had any idea how funny, fun, and significant this story would unfold. After about a week of texting, I realized that we did indeed share interesting commonalities. We shared the same favorite childhood book (My Side of the Mountain!!) and saw The Offspring as our first concert. We agreed to meet up IRL, and I was pleased that he chose a fancy, highly-rated French restaurant. We would have dinner on Friday. Uncharacteristically, I had 3 dates that weekend, but after Friday night with Donald, the other guys didn't stand a chance. We ordered the same thing (campfire trout and bourbon) and talked and talked and talked - until the restaurant manager politely asked us to leave. The restaurant had closed at 11pm and it was now almost midnight. The years that followed have been the best of my life: full of fun, growth, creativity, discovery, intimacy, and all-encompassing love. I'm beyond thrilled that this unlikely beginning led to a forever that's better than I could have designed :) <3 Alyssa