Joe's Perspective

Ellen and I met our Freshman year of college at Le Moyne in Syracuse, NY. In fact, we met on the very first day. My friend and I were in a common area at Le Moyne, right out front of Simon's Pub. In walks Ellen. Now, this is where you might think I chatted Ellen up, got her number, and that's that. Well, you'd be wrong. My friend was the one to engage Ellen in casual conversation, while I sat back, acting about as introverted as it gets. During the duration of the conversation, Ellen and I learned that we shared a class together that next day, and we agreed to meet up in that class.

The next day, I got to class about 15 minutes early. For those who know me, this is a family trait I have only recently learned to shake. When Ellen walked in, I called her over to sit next to me, and that kicked off a friendship that would turn into a relationship 3 months later.

When we look back at that time, Ellen and I both wonder what would have happened if one little thing hadn't went the way it did. What if people sat next to me in class, which would have made it so Ellen couldn't? What if Ellen hadn't needed to borrow my book for class multiple times those next few weeks? What if I had decided to do stage crew that semester, effectively destroying my free time? Each of these possibilities could have changed everything. However, after. consider these possibilities, I come back to one thought: we would have found a way to each other anyway. Ellen and I have worked so hard to make this relationship what it is. We have grown together, laughed together, cried together, and changed together. I have no doubt that we would have manifested a way to each other even if something had gone differently freshman year of college. I am so grateful for finding a partner who I know I can grow with, who I know I can get through anything with, and who has become a large part of the soul I carry around every day.

Ellen's Perspective

It always makes me laugh that Joey and I met on our very first night at college. Sometimes it feels like the universe conspired for us to meet. We were both terrified of being in college for the first time and both in need of a friend. For me, when I went to orientation earlier that first day of school, I met one of Joe's high school friends, Claire, and she had suspiciously mentioned multiple times that I must ABSOLUTELY meet her friend Joe, who, like me, was also an undeclared major at the time. I received a text from her later that night that she, Joe, and a few others were playing pool in the campus pub and they invited me to join.

Initially, I thought Joe was very shy and quiet based on that first night (boy was I wrong!). However, I was so relieved when I walked in on the first day of classes and saw a familiar friendly face. We grew as friends for a few months and one of my dear friends, Erica, had sneaking suspicions that Joe had feelings for me and that I indeed might have feelings for him too. However, I shrugged it off and swore we were just friends.

When Joe asked me out, I was still unsure if he intended it to be a date, but I said yes because I knew I had so much fun with him. The night of our first date felt easy, natural, and comfortable as he held an umbrella for me on a rainy night at Enchanted Beaver Lake with the romantic light of flickering lanterns. We jammed to Panic at the Disco and Frank Sinatra on the way home and that was when I first knew there could be something between us.

We started dating a few weeks later and the rest is history. We have been together for a total of 7 years, lived together for 2 years, and have one cat fur-baby, Hamish. Seven years later, we still love spending time together even more than we did on Day 1. We love hiking, going on walks, camping, paddleboarding, reading together, traveling and exploring new places, and going to coffee shops. Simply put, we love living life together. Even the mundane, monotonous, and everyday stuff, he lights up with excitement.

We have seen each other through ups and downs. We have grown up together. We have encouraged and supported each other through life changes. We have taken and given. We've learned about ourselves and each other in the process. He is my best friend, my teammate, and I feel eternally grateful to love Joe and walk through life with him by my side.