Our story started the way all great modern romances do — with a setup we didn’t ask for but didn’t turn down. A friend set us up, and before I knew it, I had a Royals ticket and plans with a guy from St. Louis who was in town to see Shohei Ohtani. We met at The K and immediately started giving each other a hard time — the easy kind that makes you laugh even when you’re pretending to talk trash. Between stories, jokes, and a shared love of sports, it felt like we’d known each other longer than a couple of innings. The next day we went on an all-day date — who can’t spend an entire afternoon at Buffalo Wild Wings? From there, Sunday day dates in Columbia began and eventually led to weekends in KC and weekends in STL. Gas-station snacks, questionable playlists, and a running joke about who was going to move first became part of the routine. Weekends visiting each other quickly turned into weekends spent with each other’s families — game nights, holidays, kids’ events, and plenty of time just hanging out, watching sports, and being in the mix. We figured out pretty early that being there for the people we love would always be a big part of who we are. We also discovered how much we love being the fun aunt and uncle. We take our sideline cheering duties seriously, love celebrating the little things, and fully embrace any excuse to be the ones who bring the energy (and probably the snacks, LEGOs, and new stuffed animals). Our dogs are their own storyline — two total opposites who somehow fit us perfectly. My feisty, independent dog and his overly loving, “everyone-is-my-best-friend” dog have been part of the ride the whole way. Day to day, we’re different in all the normal ways. He’s the calm — happiest with a steak, a game, and a low-key night in. I’m usually running from one plan to the next, keeping the calendar full. Somehow, it balances out. Now we’ve made our home in Kansas City — spending evenings watching games on the deck, showing up to our every-other-week trivia night with friends, and keeping our KU–Mizzou rivalry alive and well. This is us — family, friends, dogs, long drives, full schedules, sports, sarcasm, rivalry, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.