Tom and I graduated high school in 2014. Tom was in Vermont and I was in West Virginia. We both chose to go to West Virginia Wesleyan College where Tom majored in chemistry and I in biochemistry. We would have had a class together that first semester (small college where the classes were only about 30 people max), although I can't say I remember meeting him for the first time. I do remember becoming friends, and choosing a seat next to him for the semester by the time junior year rolled around. We went our separate ways and grew individually for a few years after college. By 2020, our communication was friendly but sporadic and mostly through social media. Tom was given a cat (Bob), rescued by his brother around this time. I already had my two cats, Chester and Maisel, and we began to talk a lot over this. Before I knew it, he was driving from Morgantown to Charleston every week during his three days off. When I graduated medical school and matched to OSU in Columbus, he proposed to me and we moved there together.

During the two years we've lived in Columbus, we've dealt with new jobs and the challenges they bring and had new joys as well, especially with bringing our dog Darcy home with us. It's hard to believe that we first met nearly 10 years ago, became friends, lived our lives separately, came together again, fell in love, and became partners. We are both so excited to formally tie the knot and celebrate this life milestone with our families and friends.