Good things come to those who wait. This clichéd adage serves as context for our relationship over the past four years. We met over a shared love of the great outdoors when our company, EF: Education First, launched a hiking club with an inaugural trip to Lonesome Lake in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We had both started new jobs on different teams within a few months of each other, and this hike seemed like a promising opportunity to meet new coworkers. Small talk was made that day, and over the next month Dan thought he saw Sam in passing around the office. It was at the EF holiday party that the sparks really started. Dan decided to dance with a group of mutual friends as an excuse to talk with Sam. Soon the friends left and it was just the two of us dancing. Though it was touch-and-go for a few months following that night, Dan eventually received a Valentine's Day text from Sam to grab dinner. We enjoyed a few "hangouts" as friends before our first official date on March 30, 2016. In the end, it was well worth the wait.

With a guarded approach to the first few dates in our rear view, it soon became clear that something special was blossoming. Dan let slip the first "I love you" and was too embarrassed to hear that Sam had reciprocated the feeling right back. Sam and Dan grew close over coffee breaks and lunch dates at EF, weekend hikes, and road trips around New England. The rest of 2016 brought introductions to families, hometowns, and friends. We also found we held a shared love of travel. Our first adventure took us to Peru where we hiked many Incan ruins including Machu Picchu, wandered around Lima, and nestled into a beautiful hostel in Cusco. We further learned to collaborate and bring out the best in each other on trips to Portugal, Spain, and Australia. The next few years brought personal and professional hardships, many new apartments, and career changes. Sam started a Masters Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education six months after she started a new role in the Dean of Students Office at Harvard Law School. A few months later, Dan waved goodbye to EF and started a graduate student-teacher program of his own through Sposato Graduate School of Education. Dan, a middle school teacher, and Sam, a higher education administrator, supported each other on the path to new careers in education. It was obvious that our values and goals aligned. Eventually, we took a leap when we moved into our first shared apartment in Somerville's Porter Square. There we have created a home together. We even adopted a fluffy cat named Mercy. We continue to learn from and about each other as we develop individually and jointly each and every day.

Always forward and communicative, we had been discussing next steps and the "big question" for quite some time. Despite our busy lives full of grad school and demanding new roles at work, Dan asked for the all important blessing from Sam's parents while they were vacationing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire over the 4th of July. Dan knew he'd pop the question in the fall. The perfect opportunity presented itself when we agreed to spend an October weekend at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge for a Dartmouth alumni event. We fought through "leaf peeper" traffic with just enough time to get up and down Mount Moosilauke in time to make dinner at the lodge. Dan tucked the ring away in his pocket, zipped it up securely, and began the trek up the mountain with Sam. We took the obligatory photo at the summit where Sam suspected Dan was about to propose. Instead, Dan ushered them down without haste for the scheduled dinner. Disappointed, Sam started down in front. "The view is great from this side. Let's get one more photo," Dan requested. "Ugh. Dan, let's not be late," Sam replied while turning around to the sight she had eagerly been hoping for moments earlier. Shocked by the ruse, Sam stood there for a moment as Dan detailed the multitude of reasons for his proposal. Sam walked back to embrace him and answer in a resounding "Yes!"