We met in a chance encounter through a mutual friend and immediately had an interest in each other. We decided to take it slow. We agreed it would just be a summer thing. We did not progress slowly, and it was not just a summer thing. Together, we have managed surgeries, the stomach flu, loss of loved ones.... and a toddler. With love that will go beyond a lifetime, we have built a life and family around one another that we thought only existed in dreams or fairy tales.