Jordan was notoriously horrible with texting back in 2015 - so much so that I didn't think our first date was happening until he finally texted me back with "I'm here." So of course, I finally showed up huffing and puffing thirty minutes later. My first impression of J was that he was a little too serious, didn't smile very much, and talked way too much about math and the Peloponnesian War. However, there was *something* about him. Our next few dates were slotted with trying to impress one another with me specifically asking to go to the Met so that I could teach him all about the Mythology I learned in college. Little did I know this guy is a Roman fanatic and completely schooled me. I got him back though - when I used my liberal arts education to show off my limited ornithology knowledge at the Bronx Zoo (ha!). Five years later as I sit here and write this, nine weeks in quarantine spending 24/7 together, one day after getting mad that he ate my honey pistachios and CheeWees, and two hours after he dropped what he was doing to help me figure out this website, I think it’s safe to say I’m so thankful he’s mine.

Katie and I met at the High Line on the West Side. I was taken by her blunt pronouncements ('You have a very symmetrical face.') and love of books (later to realize this was confined to romance novels). I'm certain she also greatly enjoyed my holding forth on math and minutiae of the Peloponnesian War. Our crazy kept coming out on our next two dates: first at the Bronx Zoo, where she related far more than I cared to know about birds; second at the Met, where I succeeded in ruining the mystery and wonder of Greek mythology forevermore. Those first few dates set the tone for our relationship: as opposites, as complements, as cherishing one another's foibles and eccentricities.