We met at Interlake High School In Bellevue. The summer before Senior year we started talking at a party and sparks went flying. When school started up again we started going to football games and explored Seattle together. Homecoming was coming up and we went together to the dance. After that we were pretty much inseparable. We did homework together and joined the debate team. Tjitske watched Teja play baseball. During our college years we dated long distance as Teja went off to WSU and Tjitske to UW. In the summer of 2017 we moved to Denver together where Teja pursued his Masters and Tjitske found work in her political field.

On one of Tjitske's rare days off, Teja surprised Tjitske by whisking her off to the airport early in the morning. It was a surprise trip home to Seattle! The day was a perfect sunny Seattle day with the mountain out (ask a Seattle native about this reference). Back in our old Bellevue neighborhood Teja surprised Tjitske with his grandmother's ring at Crossroad's park, close to the whales. Quite a special day indeed.