When I started teaching at LPO, Linda was my mentor teacher. I was married and she was in a long-term relationship, so we were just colleagues. Still, you notice people, and I noticed her. She soon left to teach elementary school, and we only saw each other sporadically over the years. We ran into each other at a concert six years later, both newly single. Soon after, she sent me a friendly message, but I was hopeful it meant something more. We met up at the Festival, a cool August night in the wake of a brutal July, and not long after moved in together. We never talked about it, it just sort of happened. When you know, you know, and we knew almost immediately. We crammed in a lot before school started up: a Billy Idol concert, wine tasting in Walla Walla and as much lake time as we could get in. It was exciting, passionate and organic: everything just felt right. We soon eased into domestic life together, and quickly became a part of each other’s families. A year later, following a family trip to Whidbey Island, I proposed. That was four years ago. And here we are, finally. This may have been a long time coming, but we never felt like we were in any rush. Our marriage is the natural step in a relationship that has already proven itself over time. Getting married later in life has a different vibe. We aren’t planning to have any kids, and our careers will soon be over. A lot of the big things have already happened, many of them separately, and we will now get to enjoy the fruits of our labor together. My family is small, and Linda’s takes up a sizable portion of this town. I have no children, but Linda has a daughter, Alissa, and son-in-law, Justin, with two daughters of their own, Evelyn and Ophelia. We have a dog, Sundance, and we are fortunate to have both sets of parents. Together, we strike a balance. There is a lot of life to experience, and good or bad, we will experience it together. Thank you for being in our lives, for helping us celebrate our love. For everything, really.