One summer, we were interns at the same non-profit in Tennessee and there was a huge tree in the middle of the intern housing circle. I sat under it with my coloring book and Emilio came to sit next to me with his sketchpad. As we colored and drew, we told each other stories of our childhoods and how we became the people we were. Under the shade of that tree, we began to fall in love. Later on, we went on our first date: we ate pork chops at his parents' house and watched Finding Dory at a drive-in movie theater near his hometown. Many nights were spent sharing childhood music videos, current joys and struggles, and future dreams. When the summer ended, we faced the reality of our temporary long-distance fate. Emilio would say when it got difficult, "Somehow, some way, we'll make it through. Nothing worth doing is easy." We did make it through. We have made it (and continue to make it) through a pandemic, a new dog (Zuli), new jobs as teachers, and buying our first house! Now, it has been over five years since our first date and May marks the beginning of forever.