While in art school at the same time, we met when mutual friends introduced us at an art party potluck. We chatted briefly about art and at the end of the night Alan took a group photo of all of the attendants of the party. After this we saw each other at many more art functions, including Alyssa's senior art show opening, which Alan attended.

After running into each other multiple times at social gatherings, art events, and both being involved in an art centered magazine group, Alan asked Alyssa if she wanted to go to a symphony performance in Fort Collins. Alyssa agreed. After learning that the performance had sold out, we decided to see a movie instead. We watched a silent film, The Artist, at the Lyric Cinema Cafe, and then enjoyed a fancy cocktail at Fort Collins' very own speakeasy jazz bar, Ace Gillet's. We ended the night by sharing some cheesecake together, which Alan prepared for Alyssa in his apartment (Allegedly from a frozen package, but the jury was inconclusive).

While living in Fort Collins, we spent a lot of our time at Suehiro's, a sushi restaurant in Old Town Square. A part of our dating ritual became ordering the Roulette Roll, a plate of twelve sushi pieces wherein one was spiked with hot sauce. We would take turns eating them until one "lost" the game. After living in Fort Collins for a while, we decided to take a road trip up the west coast in order to find a new city to move to. We drove through San Francisco, the Redwoods National Park, Crater Lake, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC, in Alyssa's parent's Toyota Rav 4, which Alan only caused minor cosmetic damage to. We fell in love with Seattle and moved there six months afterwards, with our pet cat Peg in tow.

In the idyllic Pacific Northwest, we spent our time exploring the city, going on walks, and taking ferry rides around Puget Sound. We made many great friends, through Alyssa's fitness group November Project, and Alan's work at the University of Washington. A tradition of Alan taking Alyssa on surprise dates started with a visit to the Japanese Garden in the Seattle Arboretum in 2013, which culminated in a fateful visit to the Seattle Art Museum on November 5, 2016. This date - during which Alan was anxiously fidgeting with a ring in his pocket for nearly six hours - ended with a proposal in front of Alyssa's favorite painting at the museum that day. A few months after that, Alan accepted an invitation into the MFA program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Finding ourselves in the Land of Lincoln, we spend our time working and studying in the City of Big Shoulders, planning a wedding, exploring the city, and spending time with each other and our friends. We are excited about what Chicago has in store for us. Next time on the Adventures of Alan & Alyssa: Can they make it to the east coast to fulfill their quest of living in every time zone in the contiguous United States? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT!