A Happily Ever After Party!

Like many couples after the pandemic, we met online. After chatting for a few days, we decided to meet up for drinks (on a weeknight no less!), thinking it would last for an hour or so and we'd be home early. Little did we know that we had a lot in common, and a lot to talk about :) Four hours later, we parted ways but our minds kept circling back to the evening. It was an exciting (and busy) time in our lives, as I was finishing up the semester teaching (and grading), and Caitlin was graduating with another master's degree. Yet somehow we made time for each other multiple days each week, cooking dinner, going for walks, and discussing our favorite pastimes for hours. It wasn't long before we realized we wanted to spend every night together, made more evident by how much we missed each other while I was driving across the country on a motorcycle trip to Minnesota. A few months went by, we introduced the pets, and our conversation quickly turned to the long-term future. We decided to move in together in the winter and spent the colder months preparing by planning the move, packing Caitlin's things, painting our new home, and preparing for the next step in our adventure. The boys (Caitlin's two cats, Teddy and Frankie) and girl (my dog, Auri) took some time to adjust to each other. Teddy and Frankie spent a lot of time exploring their new home while we continued to explore the new depths of our relationship (Auri sat idly by just waiting for her new brothers to want to play). Life carried on (as it is wont to do), and our love only grew stronger. We spent more time together, and more time with friends and family, steadily intertwining our lives. The more time we spent together, the more sure we became until we finally decided to tie the knot. I proposed at the top of one of Caitlin's favorite hikes (Bonticou Crag!), and she said, "Yes!"