We met in 2015, when I was, well, otherwise occupied. I remember the day clearly when Justin walked into my classroom at HSP to sub a class for another colleague in my first few months of teaching. We introduced ourselves, I showed him where the colleague's things were, and that was that. Or so I thought... In 2017, after finally giving in to a friend's constant nagging, I said yes to our first chaperoned date. Said friend joined us, as did her toddler son, Lily, and Yoshi and the six of us walked the Silver Comet trail. Typical first date. Except it wasn't, so we went on an unchaperoned first date a little while later, again joined by Lily and Yoshi. We walked and talked for hours. Our second date took us to Sweetwater Brewing in Atlanta. We drank some beer, took a tour, and got free sampler glasses. Quite the win!  But I simply wasn't ready for a relationship. I ended our dates. We agreed to remain friends, but life took us separate ways and we hardly stayed in touch. And so, our set of Sweetwater sampler glasses was separated. In 2021, after recovering from some challenging years filled with pain and growth, I decided I was ready to stop existing and start living again. I knew (from friend mentioned earlier) that Justin had now moved to Arkansas. (Arkansas!? Who even lives in Arkansas!?) But I just couldn't get him out of my mind. So I jumped on a plane, visited him a few times, quit my job, sold my house, got a new job, bought a new house, and here we are! Well, it wasn't quite that easy but things that are worth it don't need to be easy. Our Sweetwater sampler glasses are now living side by side in our dining cabinet, as they should be.

In 2015, I was working in film, in Atlanta. When I didn’t have an active project, I would spend time at HSP, my alma mater, subbing classes. I remember walking into the Physics lab to sub a class, and I crossed paths with the other Physics teacher as she was leaving. I remember thinking “Oh, she’s cute. Oh. Wait. She’s taken, move along.” In 2017, I was chatting with a mutual friend, and of course, we landed on the topic of relationships. I remember saying something along the lines of “You know who seems great, your friend Bianca. Too bad she’s taken.” That friend responded with “Oh! She’s not taken.” So naturally I responded with “Put in a good word for me!” Little did I know, that meant nag her incessantly until she goes on a date with me. So, many months later, that friend texts me and tells me that we have a date planned. Bianca must have finally said yes. Our first date came in two parts on the Silver Comet Trail. We were originally chaperoned by our mutual friend, her child in a stroller, and two dogs. We had great conversation the whole time, not that I remember the content. Then came our first date part two. We decided we no longer needed a chaperone. It was just us and our two dogs. Again, we had great conversation. Then came our infamous Sweetwater date. I was nervous, who wouldn’t be. There was a pretty girl, I was driving, and we had no more chaperones, finally. We talked the whole time in the car, we arrived at Sweetwater, and of course, Justin forgot his wallet. What. A. Mess. So, we drove 20+ minutes back to my house to get my wallet. We headed back to Sweetwater, and for the first time in my life, they don’t check my ID to get into the door. I guess I didn’t need the wallet after-all. At Sweetwater, the usual food trucks weren’t present, so there was no food available. Double fail, so far, on my part. So, I took her back to my house, and I managed to save the date by cooking dinner. That’s right, I cooked! Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Bianca ended our dating, and we agreed to just be friends. Soon after, I got a job at Thaden and moved to Arkansas. After Covid, Bianca reached out for some dog advice. Little did I know, she was trying to reconnect. A few months later, we met up for lunch while I was visiting family in Atlanta. Then, she came to visit me in Arkansas. She quit her job a few months later, moved here, and the rest is history. We love the life we have built together, in Arkansas, with our two dogs, two cats, and three guinea pigs!