When we met over 8 years ago, friendship came easy to us. Introduced by a mutual friend, we found spending time together to be a shared favorite activity. It took many shows, camping trips, at least two seasons of "Game of Thrones", and too many late Chicago nights before we realized that "friends" wasn't quite the right word for us. Turns out, admiring someone's curly hair and goofy laugh aren't exactly "friendly" thoughts. He liked her spunk and smile and she liked his kindness and humor. One fateful night, while listening to a truly awful band at the former Abraham Lincoln themed watering hole, we felt something fall into place and haven't been separated since. Together, we have created a home, adopted the hairiest and sweetest cat, got our masters degrees, survived the pandemic, traveled across the country, then the world, and had the pleasure of watching one another grow. In turn, we have seen how our love continues to evolve and change along with us. As we reflect on these 8 years together, we are grateful for every moment. We have celebrated so many milestones together and cannot wait to share the biggest one yet with all of you.