It all started with a pick-up volleyball game and an old peer. Greg - my old classmate, former-cleanest-roommate, and friend - invited me to a pick-up game with some of his new studio friends after school. (Of course I said yes because I can't say no to team sports or meeting new people.) I ended up meeting Ben and Brian that day. Of course Brian was exactly my type - with that brown hair + blue eyes combo with broad shoulders, aka hot. We ended up playing a few 2-on-2 volleyball games until our feet were raw from the sand, and then kicked back at the park to enjoy a few beers. At this time, none of us were aware of the [now-abolished] law that you're not supposed to have more than 3% alcohol beer at public parks... whoops. (But really, who drinks beer less than 3%!?) We ended up having dinner at the house then sitting around the living room talking. Brian made a noted attempt to sit by me on the couch, and we ended up sharing a blanket since the house was consistently set at 60 degrees in the winter to save money. Since then, we had started texting - after I figured out his name was Brian again. (Seriously - Ben and Brian are like THE most generic male names and both start with B!) Come Halloween when I hosted a Halloween party, Brian wore the shortest running shorts he owned and 2 wigs when he dressed up as Forrest Gump - one nappy wig as hair, and one wig as his "dreads." I created and wore a "John Snow White" combination costume - a snow white dress complete with furs and a beard (Game of Thrones reference). Oddly enough, we had our first kiss that night. From then, we kept the party going by dating for about a month more before he made it "official" and asked me to be his girlfriend. I was a bit hesitant since this was the fastest moving serious relationship I'd ever been in, but honestly - from the beginning, I've never had anything as weirdly easy to say "yes" to. It was - and always has been - so easy to choose Brian.

Yeah, what she said... Near the start of grad school, I went to go play volleyball with Ben and a new classmate/friend Greg. At the time, Greg happened to be roommates with three girls, and one of them decided to join us for a pickup game. Alex knowingly forced beer upon us during the volleyball game and therefore made us break the law. As it turns out, we all sucked at volleyball and the "sand" was rough and abrasive, so we had sore feet for days. After the sad excuse for a game, we went back to Greg's house to make fajitas where Alex proceeded to assume I didn't know how to cook or chop vegetables. Somehow, after being forced to break the law and having my cooking skills insulted, I still asked for her number against my better judgement. During the following months, we kept in touch by texting and sitting next to each other in some shared classes - suffering together through the worst possible class on earth: Professional Practice. I also kept an eye out for Alex on the my bike route from school to work. She rides slower than me, so I would speed by her on my way to my part-time job. One day I was walking and Alex got off her bike to walk with me. We ended up going to grab coffee together right off the trail since we had some extra time. At this point, I knew I wanted to ask her out on a date to get to know her better. I finally got the chance to make my move during a Halloween Party that year at Greg's place. Alex was a bearded Snow White, and I was flaunting my legs in a pair of short running shorts as Forrest Gump. The party ended up being a little more popular than anyone expected, so there were people on the roof, sticky floors, and whip cream on the ceiling - it was madness. After I convinced Alex to stop cleaning and to enjoy the party, I finally made my move and kissed her. After picking the beard hairs out of my mouth, I finally asked her out on a date, and the rest is history.