What started as a silly first date quickly turned into something special. We met for a hike in Bristol… an ambitious choice for two people just getting to know each other, but a pretty accurate preview of the kind of life we’d end up loving together. From the beginning, we discovered that we are both a little weird, slightly uncoordinated, and always able to laugh through it. Somewhere on the trail there was a near fall, a brief surprise rain shower, and plenty of moments that would have made a less compatible pair call it a day. Instead, we continued to goof off and make it fun! After the hike, we grabbed burgers from a local spot and headed to the park for dinner, only to realize we had forgotten utensils, napkins, and basically every useful item we could have brought. So we sat there, tired and messy from hiking, dripping ketchup everywhere, wiping it on our shirts, and laughing the whole time. Still not ready for the night to end, we went to Bristol Falls and attempted to go stargazing. Right on cue, the clouds rolled in and covered the sky, so we renamed it “star searching.” We spent the evening stretched out on an extremely uncomfortable, chilly, rocky ledge, talking for hours and realizing how easy it felt to be together. Somehow, after a date full of bug bites, burgers, black skies, and questionable planning, we both wanted a second date; that was probably a good sign. The dates that followed were a little more organized… sort of. We went to dinners, movies, more hikes, and started traditions we still love today- especially scary movies with too much candy. We also made a homemade pizza and apple pie which were both objectively terrible, yet somehow still became our favorite memories. Over the last three years, not much has changed in the best way. We still laugh at ourselves, still make ordinary moments fun, and still know that life is better when we’re together. We may be a little clumsy and chaotic, but we’ve always been perfectly matched; we can’t wait for the next adventure.