In addition to being the first line of Stephanie Meyer’s literary classic, Twilight, this is also the opening line to Kat and Morgan’s first conversation. In January 2021, Morgan gave Kat a superlike on Tinder. Kat nearly swiped left because Morgan's first photo looked a little snobby with a matching tracksuit, but the last photo, featuring a cloth mask (2021, am I right?) printed with the opening line of Twilight, made Kat second guess and swipe right. At the time, Morgan was living in Stamford, waiting to move back to the valley, and Kat was in an attic in Easthampton surrounded by the hundreds of books they moved across the country with six months prior. The two of us talked for months without meeting since it was the peak of COVID, and life continued: Morgan moved to Easthampton, Kat moved to Northampton, both of us started dating other people. We had a solid friendship that included minigolfing, beers at the Brass Cat, and Morgan attending Kat and Kate’s annual Halloween Party with increasingly elaborate costumes. Halloween 2022 is when things began to shift: The party was scheduled to start at 8 p.m. promptly, and Morgan arrived right on time—and kept an eye on Monty when the smoke machine made the building fire alarm go off. Following the party, we started seeing movies together and shooting the shit at the Brass Cat on a regular cadence. At a showing of Glass Onion, Morgan pulled the classic “my hand is here to hold” move at the movie theater, and Kat spent 40 minutes considering the pros and cons of giving in to the offer. Kat decided it was worth it, and here we are. Early dates and milestones included a trip to the Amherst Railway Society Expo, a trip to meet Morgan’s family before hitting up a Tiki Bar, Morgan driving Kat to brunch in Turner’s Falls on a learner’s permit, spending Kat’s birthday in Denver after a work trip, and many, many rides on the Wicked Cyclone at Six Flags New England. That summer, Morgan went to Michigan with Kat for the first time, and was more moved by the big skies and corn fields than either of them expected. In April 2024, we moved in together in Easthampton, and Morgan became a parent to Montgomery “Monty Mole” Montgomery. Compromises were made about where to put all the books, how many computers one can reasonably have, and how two people who hate doing the dishes could get the dishes done. Together, we’ve made a cozy home with a hobby room and plenty of boxes for Monty to occupy. During the trip to Michigan that summer, after a perfect day at Cedar Point (America’s Rock-n-Roll-er Coast, Ride On), Morgan proposed in Kat’s childhood bedroom in Sturgis. Kat, in a hurry to counter propose with a silver ring they made on the stove a few weeks prior, nearly forgot to say yes. The past three-and-a-bit years have been defined by a shared vision for a warm home, honest communication, and having a good time doing just about anything together, from surprise road trips to the Titanic Historical Society and Best Video to our regular Monday Night Movie. Kat still needs to watch Stargate, and Morgan still needs to read “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,” but other than that: We’re ready. We’re so excited to share a day with so many of the people we love together in one room.