Truth be told, it started before that. Does anyone really know where a story begins?

Ours began with fate on our side.

Carol started working at her favorite store, No Name Nutrition in 2021. Mitch was a regular (star) customer at his favorite store, No Name Nutrition. On her first day working at the store, Mitch came in and Carol checked him out. (truly, just with his purchases). He said to her "So you're the new kid on the block".

Over the next year, as Carol became less of the new kid, Mitch regularly came into the store, as he had done for years prior. Carol noticed a lot of things about Mitch - firstly his moccasins. Mitch would regularly joke about wanting his change in 'ones' (to which Carol probably gave him an eye roll about, every single time. )

In January of 2023 Mitch shared with us at the store that he was going to be our 'neighbor'. He was moving his massage studio across the street from the store. Carol immediately told him that she knew the building he was moving into, as her friend and beautician Rhonda was in the same building. As Mitch shared details of his move, Carol told him that she would come by to see his room sometime.

Carol tried. Over the course of the next 4 months, every time she went to get her hair cut, she would go downstairs to see if Mitch was there to see his 'place'. Mitch was either not there, or busy with a client every time.

On May 17, Mitch was in the store. As he was checking out, Carol told him she had an appointment the next day with Rhonda and asked him what his schedule was and if he would be there. He said he would be available at the time.

Carol arrived early for her hair appointment to run downstairs to see Mitch for a few minutes first. She brought his favorite bottle of Aloe juice (that he bought every single time he came into the store). She walked to the door of 2D, to find the door closed with the "Quiet Please" sign annoyingly displayed.

But that wasn't the only thing on the door. Attached with a bandaid was a note. 'Stop by after your appointment'.

So she left the bottle of juice and went upstairs to her appointment.

Admittedly, Carol's heart was all aflutter. (Mitch's was not). So, after her hair appointment, Carol made her way downstairs to see Mitch - oh, his room.

It was their first conversation outside of the store. It was comfortable and 'light' I suppose, but they began to learn about each other that day. How long we talked is undocumented, but time seemed to evaporate.

The string of a million text messages began that night. Very polite and proper. Mitch texted "now I owe you a drink. And maybe dinner and more conversation sometime."

And so it began.

Many, many bandaid notes, text messages, a visit to his acreage , and many getting to know each other conversations later, on June 16th the dinner finally happened.

From all of these things, a bond had been formed.

The next few months were filled with more time getting to know each other on a new level. Mitch and Carol left countless bandaid messages to each other, as well as sent an admittedly ridiculous amount of text messages back and forth.

They couldn't wait from one time to the next to see each other. Neither was completely certain as to 'what' was happening between them, but we both knew it was something special.

By the end of August, they both knew that this was something more than just a passing thing.

In September, he while they were driving to meet up with some of Mitch's friends, he gave her a small ring box. She opened it carefully, and inside was a heart keychain, with, of course, a bandaid.

In November, Carol went on an adventure to Hawaii with her best friend Amy. Before she left, Mitch had ordered 'something' he was hoping to give her before she left. 'It' was delayed. But the day Carol returned, Mitch picked her up from the airport and said 'It's here!'. When they got back to his house, they opened the 'something' - and much to Carol's surprise, were matching bandaid rings.

Yes, the bandaids were now a permanent part of them.

On their first Christmas Eve, they opened their gifts to each other. one of the things that carol told Mitch regularly was that he 'gives her butterflies.

Well, out of each gift that he gave her, butterflies flew out (scaring the crap out of her, but nonetheless...)

Yes, in true Mitch fashion, he gave her butterflies.