We're getting married...

If you ask him how we met: We were both on Tinder, which is known for anything but a serious long-term relationship. She was suspicious, as I only had a few photos and a brief bio (I was still working in the “field” as a PO). Her profile said she was thinking about getting a third dog and was known to randomly burst into Broadway tunes. After almost three years together, we’ve got the third dog and she’s still serenading me with songs from Hamilton. We were very quick to connect and shared similar senses of humor. How I knew she was the “one”: Katie is the most emotionally-intelligent person I’ve ever known. I was still very much of a “hot head” when we first met. I wasn’t particularly afraid of confrontation and had very few reservations on doling out discipline upon our newest puppy, Jersey. Katie quickly proved to me that problems - disagreements, arguments - were more effectively resolved with thoughtful words and discussions, not just brute force. It wasn’t mostly Jersey’s stubbornness to blame; I’d also need to learn how Jersey responded to training and exercise some patience. I probably wouldn’t be the person, or father, that I am today if I hadn’t met Katie. She’s been by my side for some of the best, and scariest, moments as an amazing partner and parent. Marlowe and I were welcomed into her family unconditionally and have shared many great memories in such a short amount of time. Katie’s selflessness and commitment to family is the reason why I can appreciate the rare moments that I can pause and be thankful for all that I have. ____________________________________________________________________________ If you ask her how we met: A typical COVID love story, I was so close to just giving up - every person I met felt like a carbon copy of the last. I knew people who met and got married on Tinder, so I thought “well, here goes nothing”. I don’t know who said hi first but I remember his picture and thinking that he looked kind, that there was something different about him. We chatted, he told me he had a daughter who was about to turn two, we talked about our pasts, the good and bad, what we wanted and what we were looking for. He made me laugh and didn’t make me feel that I was “too much”, he showed me that my emotions, my joy, my heartbreak, the goofiness, the weirdness, all of me... was enough. I didn’t need to be less with him. He showed up, time and time again, he didn’t play games, he showed me vulnerability and steadiness. He introduced me to Marlowe, his daughter, and for the first time it felt like home. How I knew she was the “one”: It sounds cliché to say “I just did” but love grew, probably from the first time we met. We would have dates that would be him driving an hour to see me and we would just drive around in his car and talk, we would watch Impractical Jokers in the middle of an empty parking lot because I wasn’t comfortable with him coming in my house yet. The first time he did come over I made burgers, and we sat on the couch and watched a show. Something clicked and it felt like he was supposed to be there, he did the dishes and praised my cooking (which was definitely just okay). When he left later on I knew that this was different, having him there felt like a puzzle piece that finally clicked in. In the almost 3 years since then he has taught me patience, he has showed me what it feels like to be taken care of, he has allowed me to grow, to sing Broadway songs loudly and very off key, to be cluttered and imperfect, to be a mom to a little girl and to have a family. He has held me up when I've fallen and stands by me in the darkest and most beautiful moments. He has loved me to my core in the hardest moments of my life and showed me how to keep walking forward. Our life together, with Marlowe, is the happiest I’ve ever been, and watching him love his daughter has taught me so much about who he is as a man, as a father, and as my person. He just is it for me. He always has been.