We met at our friends Keith and Marieke's annual Halloween party in 2018. Alex was dressed as Dr. Livingstone, and Brigitte as a data science unicorn. Despite Alex's costume (or perhaps because of it), Brigitte somehow found him likable enough for a first date. We met for coffee on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville during some serious winter weather. Alex wouldn't hear of canceling. The two of us talked for hours watching the snow come down. Once Nixie, Brigitte's dog, accepted Alex into the pack, marriage was the logical next step.