The year is 2022. Shelly arrives in Ann Arbor for a one-year pain fellowship, fully convinced that she will be gone in twelve months. With the confidence of someone who has a departure date, she sets her Hinge radius to a very practical 5–10 miles. Meanwhile, Donovan is pursuing his master's degree in psychology while receiving a bone marrow transplant for leukemia at the University of Michigan. On his dating profile is a photo of him proudly holding a lunchbox on the first day of graduate school, captioned: "First day of 17th grade." Naturally, Shelly likes the picture. Donovan sent a message. Shelly replied. Then Donovan replied to the reply. Soon, they were exchanging improbably long messages at an alarming pace. When Donovan is finally discharged from the hospital, the two meet for their first date at Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill on September 11, 2022—a date they can confidently say they will never forget. By the third date, Shelly was attending Donovan's niece's birthday party and meeting cousins, aunts, uncles, and just about everyone else. The months that followed were filled with more time together, more adventures, and eventually a trip to Italy for Donovan's cousin's wedding in May 2023—their first vacation together. They wandered through Rome, Florence, and Turin, collecting memories and proving they traveled just as well together as they dated. Then came a plot twist. Shelly accepted a job in Chicago, and Donovan packed up and moved there, too. Together, they built a life filled with weekend adventures, family gatherings, increasingly ambitious travel itineraries, and the boyz (our cats). In March 2025, they crossed another item off the bucket list: attending their first Manchester United match together (Go Reds! Probably the only sports team they will ever agree fully on) and exploring Scotland. What Shelly didn't know was that Donovan had a much bigger plan in mind. Against the backdrop of the iconic Eilean Donan Castle, Donovan proposed. (For those wondering: yes, he managed to keep the secret. No, she had absolutely NO idea.) Since then, they've continued building their life together in Chicago—traveling whenever possible, tackling elaborate LEGO projects, playing video games, collecting stories, and finding joy in the wonderfully ordinary moments in between. And now, after all the adventures so far, they're excited for the next chapter—with all of you along for the ride. ✨