July 10, 2021

Six years ago, two UC Davis students celebrated the end of the 2014 school year. Rebecca, a seasoned Aggie, looked forward to summer. What better way to start than a trip to the local Lake Berryessa. Her roommates invited a group of random boys, transfers to Davis from Santa Rosa. After nearly drowning while rescuing a child’s raft and picking leeches from their feet, romance was in the air. The rest of the summer, the two found themselves together nearly every weekend, whether it was swapping shirts during King’s Cup, stealing pallets from Safeway at 2AM, or commemorating national Tequila day by Zamboni-ing spilled alcohol from a dirty kitchen table. Neither initially looked for a relationship, but slowly gravitated toward one another. By the end of summer however, it was clear how they truly felt. When Rebecca asked how Tyler would feel about being together, he replied, “I wouldn’t be mad at it.”

Over the next year, the two grew closer together. During the day they would meet for CoHo coffee, occasionally catching Rebecca sleeping in booths and at night they’d attend the illustrious DeVere’s Irish Pub Quiz in search of the elusive “swag.” Several evenings were spent on the intimate second floor of Shields Library, increasing both their GPAs and affection for one another. The year flew by and before they knew it, Tyler was graduating. He celebrated by backpacking through Asia along with his best friend Brendan. Rebecca took advantage and studied microbiology abroad in Thailand. After a month they rendezvoused in Bangkok and traveled the country together. Despite a long unruly beard and manbun paired with a “unique” odor, not to mention food poisoning and all that comes with it, Rebecca’s love only grew.

Soon the couple returned to Davis, but not for long. Rebecca’s parents shared word with Tyler of a laboratory in their town of Hamilton, Montana, and a few months later he had been hired. Rebecca had to finish her senior year alone in Davis after Tyler and their dog Scout moved to Big Sky Country. She had barely returned her cap and gown following graduation when she packed up and came north, rapidly acquiring a job in cardiac rehab at the local hospital. In Montana, the two flourished. All summer they spent hiking the canyons and floating the Bitterroot River. Come winter, they took advantage of the local ski hills and spent several evenings cozied up in front of their wood stove in their perfect little house. And of course, not a week went by without seeing her parents, Bob and Sylvia, whether on purpose or accident (as you’ll soon see, it’s quite the small town). But big changes were on the horizon.

The couple, desiring to further their education, moved again, this time to New York City, trading in their dream home for an 11’ x 14’ box. Rebecca began the Physician Assistant Master’s program at Weill Cornell and Tyler started his PhD at The Rockefeller University. Despite the abrupt change of pace, they took it in stride. Nowadays, when not studying or in lab, the two take every opportunity to escape the chaos that is NYC and head for the hills upstate for hiking or camping or take Scout for long walks through Central Park. The two hope to return to the mountains of the west when finished with their programs where they can begin their lives in earnest.