02·15·26

We met on Semester at Sea in Barcelona, day one of the voyage, during a scavenger hunt. As I (Ryann) was getting ready that morning, a memory popped into my head: when I was little, my step-in grandma Sharon once told me, “Always dress nice — you never know when you’ll meet the love of your life.” At the time, she probably just wanted me to brush my hair. But years later, standing in front of the mirror before my first day abroad, those words came back — and then I met Graham. We became fast friends. I even snuck a photo of him when he wasn’t looking because I had this weird sense I’d want to remember that moment. I thought he was cute… until he shaved his head (as was tradition on the ship), discovered he had seasickness, and looked exactly like someone who had seasickness. Crush: gone. Friendship: secured. (Also, he was in a relationship, so that helped.) A few years later, when we were both single, I threw out the classic line: “If we’re both still single at 30, let’s date.” Graham countered with 29. I said 28. We bargained it down to the age we were right then — 21. Fast-forward five years: four states, a few career changes, plenty of adventures. We’ve changed a lot, but through every version, we’ve kept choosing each other.