this picture was taken 25 years ago. that's worth a party, don't you think?

Jack and Thomas met because of a wedding. Not at a wedding, because of a wedding. In the summer of 1999, Thomas flew from Connecticut to Michigan to be the best man at his oldest friend Carl’s wedding. Carl was marrying Jen, a friend of Thomas’s and Centre College classmate of Jack’s (more on that later). During the wedding festivities, Thomas got to know Meredith, another Centre grad and close friend of Jen and Jack’s. Meredith thought her old friend Jack and her new friend Thomas might hit it off. A few weeks later, Meredith, her roommate Laura and Thomas all piled into Meredith’s Honda Civic and drove south to Manhattan for the weekend. Jack and Thomas hit it off. For the next few months Jack and Thomas maintained a middle-distance relationship, Jack living and working in Manhattan and Thomas living and working in Hartford. But it wasn’t long before they started closing the distance, with Thomas moving first to Long Island, then Queens and eventually, Jack’s apartment. They got a dog and named her Macy. In November 2001 they made what many consider the ultimate commitment (and the only one available to them legally at the time) and bought a Manhattan Co-op apartment together. They got a second dog and named him Brodie. They lived happily in that apartment for years. Advanced in their careers. Did a little traveling. Hosted some parties. Made some new friends. Building a life. Then, in 2011, they put the Manhattan skyline in the rearview mirror of Jermaine Du-Prius and drove west to Cincinnati, in search of new opportunities and a little more space. They found both. They bought a house. Picked up some new hobbies (especially Jack). Said goodbye to two four-legged family members and welcomed two more. In December 2022 they were legally married at a small ceremony in their home on Rose Hill. And in 2024, they’re celebrating 25 years of togetherness.