in Reading, Mass., shaking off rain and wearing a backpack. It was an unseasonably cold day in July 2017. She was here for her first ever blind date with Matt. Match.com’s far reach brought us together online. We had decided to meet up halfway -- 30 minutes travel time each -- between where we lived in Brighton and Newburyport. In a way, the geography of our relationship would play out from this point. The bar was about 7 miles from a kitschy stretch of U.S. Route 1, the backdrop of our early love. The highway provided an endless list of food selections half way from our homes, including Kowloon’s, Border Café, IHOP, Buffalo Wild Wings and more. We tried them all. Route 1 would take us to another important location, much further from both our homes -- Acadia National Park. Over the course of a year and a half, we visited that favorite place 3 times. Almost 2 years later, we were 1.5 miles from that bar where we first met. We sat over dinner and a bottle of wine at Bellino’s in Wakefield. The restaurant was quiet. We lingered, and the conversation meandered. By the end of the night we were sitting next to each other, holding hands and talking about getting married. Later that year, after our 4th visit to Acadia, we came back engaged. Today we sit in Wakefield, 2 miles from the place we first met. Now we know what we didn’t then: One day we would buy a home together, just down the road from that bar. We were married in a small white church on January 20, 2020 with our parents, siblings, niece and nephew gathered. We spent the afternoon in the Pallone’s sunny dining room, toasting, eating and telling stories. We’ve enjoyed some fine celebrations of our love over the past year. The only thing missing, however, is our chance to celebrate with you ... ... and we will, even if we have to wait a bit longer!