I remember sitting on one of the benches at Cirque, the local Olympia climbing gym, on September 29th, 2023 right after the route setting competition. This was only 4 months after I had moved to Olympia for my 3rd year of medical school. I went there with my friend Zach, who suddenly came up to me and said something along the lines of "Hey you should meet my friend Rio". Within five minutes of talking, I was sold; so, I invited him to a power point night my friend was having the following evening and without any hesitation, he agreed. The following evening, at the powerpoint party where I only knew the hostess and now Rio, we sat next to each other the whole night, shared a plate of food and couldn't stop talking the whole night. From then on I knew I had found a best friend; someone who when I was feeling down and tired, showed up at my apartment on Halloween night with a last minute DIY deviled egg costume and whisked me off to friends and dancing. Whenever I went to the climbing gym, Rio was there, easily holding conversation with probably half the room, ready to belay me or introduce me to other climbers who I now get to call my friends. In those first 9 months as friends, we became thick as thieves, throwing house get togethers with our friends, Rio would man the grill and I ran the kitchen. We also found ourselves staying up into the late hours of the night sharing music with each other, learning quickly our music tastes intertwined with one another. There have been too many evenings to count where we drove around Olympia under a starry night, sharing new music and watching each other's faces light up with utter joy. One night, May 11th 2024 to be exact, after spending the day at Lake Cushman together with friends, Rio texts me that he was on his way to pick me up again. Turns out, the aurora borealis was reported to be out and about, and about 30 minutes after midnight, I am in the car with him and we are on our way deeper into the darker parts of Olympia, searching for the lights in the sky. We both remember that night as the beginning of the rest of our lives together and from then on, we have continued to love each other daily. Since then Rio has supported me through medical board studying, working in Portland, OR, more studying, moving in together in October 2024, traveling in Portugal and Italy, graduating medical school, starting residency, moving to Tacoma, WA in July 2025, more studying and now continues to make sure I remain sane, cared for and loved as we continue to grow as individuals together. I cannot wait to marry Rio Oberlies-Rodrigues and continue spending the rest of my life with a giant smile on my face, good music in my ears, and a lifetime of happiness.

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