When we tell people we’re both from Lynchburg, they’re often a bit confused. “Wait, I thought you guys just met?” We did! Well, a few years ago now. The year was 2021, and the night was Big Wednesday, (Lauren’s favorite holiday aka the night before Thanksgiving) when young folks and formerly young folks, in Spencer’s case, return home and catch up with friends over an evening out on the town. For us, it was Lela Godsey’s porch. Despite growing up in the same town, we had never crossed paths. By the time Lauren moved to Lynchburg, Spencer had already gone off to boarding school in Alexandria, so we’d never even seen each other, much less met. Needless to say, “that beautiful blonde over there” jumped out… well, to us both that night, and we were introduced shortly after. Our connection didn’t start with the usual light, flirty small talk–or just that, at least. It unfolded in a way that felt surprisingly real and meaningful from the start. We got to talking, first, about the shared experience of losing our dads to cancer. That understanding created an immediate closeness and laid the foundation for a very special friendship… one that eventually grew into the special love we share for one another today. It didn’t grow by accident. It grew as we did long distance, traveling back and forth between DC and New York to spend time with each other, through the daily Wordle games, goofy Saturdays on the boardwalk at Coney Island, Sundays cheering on the Eagles, and eventually building a life together in DC. From hosting dinner parties and going to concerts to ski trips and trips around the world visiting friends and seeing new places. It grew from that first night, though we didn’t know it then, that we’d found our person. We’d found someone with the same values, the same goofiness, low attention span, and, most importantly, appreciation for both the difficult and the beautiful in life. We’d found a partner and a teammate, someone we know we can depend on no matter what life might throw at us next, and the person we want to spend the rest of our lives with. We can’t wait to celebrate that love together with y’all!