We met where musical theater and roller derby collide, through friends in NYC. Chatting at a dinner party, we learned that we had similar tastes in 90s movies and music. Meg invited Erin to see her band play, and all it took was one Fiona Apple cover to make her swoon. Sharing favorite songs became our first love language. Just a couple months into dating, the world shut down. Lucky for us, we discovered that we didn't mind being in lockdown together. In fact, we had a great time despite the gloom and doom of the season. We biked back and forth between Bushwick and the Upper East Side to watch movies, piece puzzles, and take picnics in the parks. We made our first collaborative work of art: a cardboard cat castle. Both having midwestern roots, we took a road trip to visit friends and family in Illinois and Wisconsin the following spring. When quarantine became less strict, we went to shows together, and Meg started playing in bands again. We excitedly made plans to go to a music festival in Tennessee (Bonnaroo!) When it was canceled due to flooding, we adjusted our travel plans to catch a few favorite bands touring in North Carolina and dubbed this voyage “Travelroo.” In 2022, we finally made it to Bonnaroo. We saw amazing artists ranging from Japanese Breakfast and Tash Sultana to the legendary Herbie Hancock and queen mother Stevie Nicks. That year, Meg and her writing partner debuted Xena: Warrior Musical and Erin showcased her skills as a professional merch girl. Erin worked hard to make Gotham Roller Derby games happen again and Meg transformed into DJ Megamix at the games. At the close of 2022, we had much to celebrate. Erin received her art therapy license and transitioned to part-time work to make room in her life for private practice. Meg was accepted into a graduate program in music composition at Brooklyn College. In early 2023, we traveled to New Orleans for New Year’s and Baltimore for Valentines Day (and happened to meet John Waters in a local bookstore!) Back in NYC, Erin’s career plans were upended when she was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer. She started chemotherapy just a few weeks before her 40th birthday. Nonetheless, Meg helped her throw a joyous party, complete with live band karaoke. Three months of chemo ended just in time for a summer break. We traveled to Virginia for the 4th of July (also sister Carolyn’s birthday!) and visited the Luray Caverns. On the beautiful journey north through Skyline Drive, we became officially engaged! Meg bought a ring and popped the question, but truth be told, Erin had accidentally begun planning the wedding (whilst laid up in bed during chemo) when she realized that June 24 was exactly 3 months in between her birthday (March 24) and Meg’s (September 24.) Combined with the year 2024, the wedding date basically chose itself. Planning life around cancer treatment is a real challenge. Late summer of 2023 was possibly the worst time ever for Erin– radiation therapy sounds easy but was horribly painful. Multiple surgeries commenced in October ‘23, January ‘24, and March ‘24. During these periods of recovery, we gradually developed a plan to elope in Las Vegas (booking everything with travel insurance, with cancer and covid both threatening to spoil our fun.) We are ecstatic that we could make the trip to the extremely hot desert for this special occasion! We were wed at the Sure Thing Chapel by “Elvis” with a small circle of dear friends and family present to witness. The entire month of June was a beautiful celebration, with Meg playing at Milwaukee Pridefest in early June and NYC Pride happening the weekend after our wedding. For now, we will continue to maintain two apartments (the tiny studio in the Upper East Side and the Queens apartment with a backyard) for us and our three cats (Alley, Pebbles, and Bean!) Thank you for being a part of our extended family. We feel lucky to have found each other and our growing circles of wonderful people.