Ange and I began as friends - the premise that defines our relationship today. Time passed as it does, both of our other romantic engagements expired, and a single casual conversation we shared one evening painted a picture of a future on a California ranch with goats and olives and orchards. From that easy chat on, my version of that vision included Angelique on that ranch. During the pandemic, though, certain circumstances had me thinking my time in Seattle was coming to a close, and an opportunity in San Diego helped me make the decision to relocate and start anew. I would make the trip by bike, I decided, (a soul-searching goal of mine for awhile then) and shipped my earthly belongings to southern California. Ange and I were to keep talking, but not committed to a defined relationship. On the third day of my trip, nearly to the Oregon border, I was convinced to detour and meet Ange and two of our friends for a Labor Day 2020 weekend campout at Silver Lake. On their drive down, I received a call that they had been in an accident and that Ange was hurt. I had had three days of solo biking to reflect on my relationship with Ange, and in the moment of that call I realized the keen importance of her in my life and that an existence without her would be quite bleak. We met up (she was fine if a bit rattled and sore the next day) and decided to commit in full to each other. I went through with my move (that goodbye was brutal) and we pursued one another at distance for six months, an experience that was formative and challenging but one I wouldn’t change for a second, as I was forced to get to know and love the voice on the phone. In short I returned to Seattle infatuated as ever, enjoyed dating in person, and we were engaged in February, 2022. – Wes