The first time I met Cassandra, she was introduced to me at work on her first day. Apparently I looked pretty professional, because she later asked my coworker how I was as his manager (which I was not). After that, we began casually chatting in the hallways, break rooms, and at work events, until December 2021 when (as luck would have it) we both pulled each other for an office secret Santa party. With our equally stellar gift-giving abilities, and equally wise choice of office gift-giving confidant (thank you Tasha!), we both wound up with mugs and chocolate. I may have cheated a little bit after I saw her gift first (she was out on the day of the exchange and left her gift on my desk), and upgraded to include some previously un-included chocolates. We bonded over the chances of getting each other the same exact gifts, and began fraternizing over the internal messaging system (a heinous HR crime). Our bond continued to grow, from me trading her a single small coffee for a whole TV stand (I know, I'm a killer negotiator. Also, this was her first and only attempt at making me believe she drank her coffee unadulterated), to sharing paintball bruises, to sharing our love for books (and bookshops), music (and musicals), movies (of the high-brow Lifetime variety), comedy (if you'd like to call it that), TV (Real Housewives excluded) and food (yummy, tasty, food :P) with each other, to staying up late sharing our pasts, fears, hopes, dreams, and love for each other, to sharing the common understanding, memories, and experiences we have today.

Car Rides: Some of my favorite memories with Tommy involve car rides. The first time we hung out (and said more than ten words to each other) was when Tommy gave me a ride to a work-sponsored paintball day. The thing I remember most was how comfortable I was talking with Tommy. A 45-minute car ride with anyone else would have probably stressed me out, but with Tommy, 45 minutes didn’t feel like enough. We’ve taken many car rides since then – to Greensboro, to Costco, to the park, to Asheville, to the YMCA, to the beach – and I’ve enjoyed every one of them. The First Sign of Tommy’s Clumsiness: Another moment that will never fail to make me laugh is when Tommy flooded my house with rice. We decided to make Korean beef bowls and for some reason Tommy brought over a 15 lb bag of rice (I’m honestly not sure why he did this. Why not bring over one cup of rice? Also, I already had rice so it was completely unnecessary :D). On his way out, he hefts the bag of rice onto his shoulder but when he turns to go, the tiny clip holding all the rice pops off and at least 7 pounds of rice spills everywhere. I double over in laughter while Tommy stands stunned for a moment. I didn’t know at the time that this was only the beginning of Tommy spilling large amounts of food everywhere. Other Moments: - Seeing Lake Street Dive perform at the NC Museum of Art - Our trips to Asheville - Both of us experiencing IKEA for the first time - Visiting the JC Raulston Arboretum - Our first camping trip (we went to a bookstore beforehand and that was nice) - Exploring the State Fair together - Lots and lots more