Once upon a time there were two twenty-somethings scrolling on their phones during the summer of 2020. We met the old-fashioned way... shoutout to Hinge! Our first official date was to Iron Hill in West Chester... RIP Iron Hill. This first dinner date was three and a half hours long. If that isn't a good sign, then I don't know what is! Before saying goodbye, Santi bashfully gave me a pack of Starbursts. (Background: the Hinge prompt that we matched on was Santi cracking a joke about how yellow Starbursts are my favorite flavor, which is an unpopular opinion- I know.) It turns out that Santi had bought a bunch of Starburst packs, pulled out all of the yellow ones, and created a personal Starburst pack made completely out of the yellow flavor. Who needs flowers on a first date when you have a thoughtful pack of yellow Starbursts? Almost six years later, here we are. These years were full of fun travels to Colombia, London, the shore, Pawleys Island, and random cities to visit family and friends. We both started new jobs, moved in together, and have a new pup to love. While the "big times" are great, I've also had Santi by my side while we make dinner together, vacuum up dog hair, go grocery shopping, binge watch TV, go to trivia, and sit in traffic. While the "small times" are trivial, they are truly what make up our story, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Some people don't believe in love at first sight. Those people might be wrong. In our case, I remember three things the evening I met Kinsey. First, I was ridiculously nervous meeting someone during a global pandemic. Second, I didn't know if I should be more concerned with my outfit or the tornado warning that popped up as I left for our first date. Third, her smile when she walked in nearly knocked me off the high top chair in the corner of Iron Hill Brewery. It's been almost six years, but I haven't stopped and will never stop chasing the smile from that first date. There've been flights around the world and road trips along the east coast. We've had big adventures with friends, family, and fantastic views. There've also been little things like learning to play cards with her family and teaching her to love arepas for breakfast. Through it all, it's still her smile that makes me want to do it all by her side.