From the handball courts of I.S. 24 to the City of Brotherly Love, Alex and Walter's love story is a tale as old as time.

When Walter got in trouble one too many times in AP Biology, his teacher moved his seat across the room to one right next to Alex. There, glances led to notes, texts, and eventually a date at the Fro-yo shop next to Shaolin's beloved Atrium Cinemas.

For better (not worse) the timing wasn't right, and they went their separate ways.

After sharing the same middle school and high school, A&W went to colleges hundreds of miles apart. Walter studied Philosophy & Economics at SUNY Binghamton, and after graduation, moved to Lesotho to serve as a high school Math teacher in the Peace Corps. Alex, the brighter of the two, pursued a doctorate at the nation's oldest pharmacy program, the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. While learning how to treat diseases and save lives, she kept an eye on Walter's service and (quote) "thought it was hot."

After 2+ years abroad, Walter moved back home for a bit to Staten Island where Alex, as fate would have it, happened to be doing a pharmacy rotation. Instagram DMs turned into sake at Kiku and a few months of getting to know each other again. However, Alex's career led her back to Philly while Walter had to relearn how to live with running water and supermarkets.

The pandemic was a dark time for everyone, but the brightest silver-lining was that the time off led A&W to start talking again. Alex would make time to see Walter in Brooklyn whenever visiting family in NY and Walter finally visited Philly while heading south to dogsit Bourye in DC. So began two years of long-distance dating - first from NY-Philly and later from DC-Philly as Walter got his Master's at Johns Hopkins. Finally, Walter graduated and got a fully remote job, so they were able to get an apartment together in NoLibs.

Walter's arrival somehow prompted almost all Philly sports teams to go to their respective championships that year, but his love for Alex was so strong that he was able to endure this city's insufferable fans. More than a year later, they've built a life together full of cats, plants, hikes, travel, food, beer, and laughter. They can't wait to welcome you into their new family (which already includes Frankenstein & Yeti) as we all celebrate the love of Alex & Walter.