Our story started during the heights of the pandemic. With everyone working from home, Thomas decided to pack up his things to spend “a month or two” in Southern California where he grew up. Thomas decided that going on a few dates would break up the isolation that plagued us all during the pandemic; little did he know that he would almost immediately meet the love of his life! Our first date was September 8, 2020, where we talked over appetizers and walked through downtown Seal Beach. Neither of us were ready for a serious relationship, and we assumed we would eventually be long-distance, so we took things slow for a long time. Even then, it was a short while before Thomas stopped touring SoCal via AirBnBs and signed a lease a short drive from his new best friend. When Sogand shared that she had considered moving to San Francisco for years, we started to let our walls down. We shared our first “I love you” June 19th at a friend’s wedding while dancing to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”. We moved to San Francisco together in August 2021. We took a small vacation to Central California September 8, 2023 to celebrate our third anniversary. Sogand couldn’t figure out why Thomas insisted she wore something nice the whole day rather than simply changing before our anniversary dinner. Thomas proposed to Sogand at the Neptune Pool while we were touring Hearst Castle. He gave a small speech about a life together being better than the wealth, fame, or power that Hearst enjoyed, but was so nervous that he forgot to ask “Will you marry me?” and held the ring box upside down! Our story continues September 8, 2024, where we will be married on our fourth anniversary. We are excited to share our love with the friends and family who have helped shape us into the people we are today.