Paige Tim and I first met in 2017 while we were both teaching at a summer boarding school (EXPLO) in New Haven, CT. Tim was teaching political science, and I was teaching karate and managing the school’s events. I knew I liked Tim very early on. No matter who was around him, everyone always had a smile or was laughing at his jokes. I very subtly mentioned to a mutual friend that I was interested in getting to know Tim and shortly after he had asked me to lunch! Tim After summer ended and we returned to our respective coasts, we decided on a time to see each other again. I flew out to see Paige on a fall break from grad school, and got to see Paige’s home, her friends, and her family, and the people and places that were important to her.. Yosemite, In-N-Out, dirt biking in the desert… not too bad. I remember the flight home, the euphoric feelings, but also the feelings of fear over how challenging a serious cross country relationship would be. Paige came to visit on her winter break from school, I visited in summer, and just like that we carried onward. Trips, flights, holidays, school breaks, summers in California. Beautiful moments and memories, with long periods of phone calls, texts, facetimes, and separation between. Paige By the end of 2019 Tim had finished grad school, moved to Albany, and had his first couple years of teaching under his belt. I finished undergrad and after briefly moving home, was able to land a job in western NY! By March 2020 I bought a new car, started my new job, and was living in my own apartment in Corning, NY. Tim and I were so excited to be across the same state instead of across the country. Shortly after, we went into COVID lockdown and Tim started working from my tiny apartment in Corning. Even though I technically lived alone, and Tim had roommates, we spent most of our time together between our two apartments. From car camping around the Finger Lakes to skiing and snowboarding in the capital region, we’ve always made the most of the distance. Tim We spent the summer of 2021 firing out job applications to try to get closer than 3 hours from each other. We both got offers in the New Paltz area on the same exact day. Insane! It felt so fulfilling to know all of the work we put into our relationship and our careers were paying off. To celebrate our 5 year anniversary, I brought Paige up to the aptly named Burger Hill in Rhinebeck and asked her to spend the rest of our lives together. We moved into our Kingston apartment that week, just before the school year started. The past year together has been incredible, and we are so excited to finally be husband and wife, accompanied by all of you around us.