We met in November of 2019, both coming from past experiences of hard-learned lessons, transitions, heartache, some of the most difficult decisions we’ve ever made, and also a lot of joy along the way. Our first date was at the Observatory in southeast Portland where Jen/Marks immediately informed Jeanie that they didn't eat gluten or dairy, and then promptly proceeded to order parmesan garlic fries. And, where Jeanie went to warn Jen about her own abhorrent use of ketchup, only to find out that we both shared a deep mutual love for Heinz. Sign #1. Throughout both of our lives, we each tried to take our steps with as much intentionality and care as we could possibly muster in those moments, looking forward to the day when we could settle into the arms of another, knowing that it was home. After years of dreaming of the day we'd meet the love of our lives (which turned out to take quite a bit longer and be a bit messier than either of us anticipated) when it finally happened, we totally almost missed it due to a lack of faith in online dating and disillusionment in dating altogether. But the universe had different ideas and ketchup never lies. The next several months of dating were full of joy and ease and realizations of what love could be. We had time to take our first trip together to the beach, meet a handful of each other's friends/family, and learn enough about the other to know this had real potential before the pandemic hit and isolation was necessary. We made the decision to move in together, figuring that it would be a quick and efficient way to find out if we really had something here, only to learn more and more every day that we have finally found our happy place, soothing space, and anchor in the midst of chaos. We've heard people say, "when you know, you know," and now we've discovered that truer words have never been spoken. We are ecstatic to continue this journey of building a life together with Jeanie's two boys in our new home full of love.