According to Jonathan, we met while he was clerking in Memphis and Lila was clerking in Nashville. He pins our meeting to a November 2017 oral argument session, when the judges we worked for were assigned to the same panel. But, as Lila mentions at every available opportunity, we *actually* met one year prior, when Lila stopped by Jonathan's D.C. apartment to see his roommate, a mutual friend, in November 2016. Jonathan claims he can't remember anything from that month because he was in a "post-election fugue state." Lila has forgiven him, though she will almost certainly continue to razz him about it for the rest of their lives. Either way, they embarked on a long-distance relationship, traveling back and forth each weekend along Tennessee's Interstate 40. That's why this is an #I40LoveStory.

As with most romantic stories, ours begins on a Civil War battleground in Harpers Ferry. Well, near Harpers Ferry. Following a lovely but frigid hike, we repaired to our cottage, where we were enjoying a weekend away from D.C. Lila asked Jonathan what he wanted to do next, thinking the options were Scrabble or the hot tub. He said, "next, I want to ask you to marry me" and produced a ring. Being the stubborn and lawyerly equal partner that she is, Lila responded with a counter-proposal. She gave Jonathan a note that she had written to herself after their very first weekend together and that she had carried in her wallet ever since. It said "I would like to marry Jonathan Lev Backer." Everyone accepted everyone else's proposals, and we toasted with a bottle of Lila's favorite scotch.