We matched on Hinge in late January 2021. After texting, we quickly graduated to a few Zoom dates in February (romantic, we know, but this was still peak COVID, and safety first). Eventually, we decided each other was worth the risk of possible infection and the horror that is New York dating. The plan? The most classic first date: a walk through The Met, followed by dinner at the Meatball Shop (RIP, gone but never forgotten). The day was chilly but bright, the kind of early March day that taunts you with Spring but still feels like an arctic tundra. Grace showed up first (obviously) and nervously paced Central Park for 20 minutes before meeting Kevin (who was also early) on the steps. Grace was impressed. Off to a good start. Kevin says he knew it was intense like (maybe even love?!) when Grace flawlessly (his word) explained the difference between tenebrism and chiaroscuro, using a Caravaggio as her teaching aid. Grace was just ecstatic she (a) actually remembered the difference and got to use her art history degree (a rare, beautiful occurrence, iykyk), and (b) managed to explain something to a mathematical super-genius (her words)—a guy who studied symplectic and contact geometry at MIT—that he didn't already know. After The Met, we wandered to the Meatball Shop, where the conversation flowed as easily as the red wine and negronis. By the time we called it a night, we'd already laughed about 500 times. The idea of not seeing each other again? Inconceivable! The rest, as they say, is history—a history that involved a LOT of distance. For four of the last five years, careers sent us in different directions. There have been thousands of miles driven, countless calls, and lonely nights wishing we were together. But every reunion, subsequent Met visits, bagel breakfasts, and amazing trips, only cemented one thing: We are fighting for something worth it. Over time, the small moments became our story: five apartments, ritual cocktail dates, laughter, tears, hugs, high-fives, and all the chaotic, beautiful in-between. Somewhere between the mess and the calm, the art and the math, the inside jokes and the very real arguments over future zip codes, something solid and undeniable took shape. Now, five years after that fateful first date, we're here, ready to embark on our biggest adventure yet. We can’t wait to celebrate this next chapter surrounded by the people who have supported and cheered us on through this whole journey. So, here’s to March 6, 2021, the day that started it all, and to all the days still to come. Let’s lock this down and get the party started! xx -G & K