We met on May 23, 2015, volunteering at NCAC's NYLT Summer-1 Impeesa Course - and if those words mean nothing to you, don't worry about it. All you need to know is it was a Boy Scout camp and Marlette got called in last minute from a different region because they needed another girl on staff. Based on geography, we probably should never have met. And after a couple weeks that summer, geography should have kept us apart. Jon lived in Virginia, Marlette in Maryland, and neither of us had our driver's licenses yet. But Jon was persistent, and after a bit of a roundabout conversation, he managed to get Marlette's number. He texted Marlette every single day: every morning before school, at 2:30 right when she was opening her locker at the end of the day (even though he was still in class), at night when Marlette really needed to sleep because she had crew practice in the morning. And we became friends - just friends, because everyone knows long distance relationships are impossible. Over time, our feelings progressed and we found ways to see each other (it was probably the push Marlette needed to actually finally get her license). It took months, but by February 14 of 2016, Marlette finally agreed to date Jon - just in time for her to decide to live thousands of miles away from home for the next four years. Marlette attended Minerva University, and we had to juggle time zone math and delayed flights, planned surprise visits home, video called every anniversary, and ate duck instead of turkey each Thanksgiving when Jon went to visit Marlette, because Chinese restaurants are reliable whether you're in San Francisco or Berlin. Marlette got used to staying up very late when in Buenos Aires and London, because the smaller time difference is actually the worst kind. When she was in Seoul or Hyderabad, Jon got used to double (and triple, and quintuple) texting because Marlette was sleeping when he was awake, and he missed texting her. Summers and Christmas involved spending as much time together as possible; exit 22A on 495 and exit 152B on 95 South became very familiar. The long distance was looking less impossible those days. And after finally feeling like we were getting the hang it, the pandemic hit. Marlette flew home from Taipei in March of 2020, and finished out her college career, largely from the couch of Jon's apartment. After four years of long distance, we didn't want to spend any time apart. There was never any official "moving in" conversation, we just started spending more and more time together until officially signing a lease on an apartment in 2021 and eventually buying a home together in 2023 (though true to our relationship's history, Marlette was out of town on business for the date of the actual purchase). Shortly after moving in to our new home, and after seven years of good morning and goodnight texts, we eloped on September 21, 2023. Now we live in Centreville, Virginia, about an equal drive between our parents' homes in Severn and Stafford, once again meeting each other in the middle. We adopted some kittens, named Boston, Augusta, and Northern Virginia, to keep our dog Juneau company, and are piece by piece building a life together (in one geographical location this time). We are so excited to be celebrating our marriage with a religious ceremony in July with all of you, bringing together family and friends from around the world to celebrate our love. We can't wait to see you!