We met in college at Texas State University. I saw Paige a couple of times in online classes

helping when the profs had questions or technical difficulties on Zoom. She would help before I

had the opportunity to. We first met in person when she asked our class group chat to make a

study group. About 6-7 people showed up. I couldn’t see her face because everyone was

wearing masks, but I noticed she had pretty eyes. I wasn’t there to fraternize, though, I wanted

to get into this competitive nursing school, so I needed to study. Out of everyone there, Paige

and I were the only ones that wanted to study, while everyone else in the group talked amongst

themselves. I sat next to her, and we talked a little about the subject matter and spent the rest of

our time poured into our books. I liked the silent energy between us.

The next day, I asked the group chat if anyone wanted to study in the same area as before. Lo

and behold, Paige showed up. We sat on the same floor, at the same table, for 2 months before

I asked her out on a date.

I was taking an arts class that necessitated a trip (virtual or in-person) to an art museum, so I

asked her to accompany me to the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin. We shared our first kiss

outside the museum walking around the capital building.

What I loved about Paige during the early days of our relationship, was how focused and

dedicated she was to finishing her degree, her desire to settle down without settling, and her

lived experience of travelling in various places around the world. These things which

constructed who she was, among countless others, influenced her perspective on life and the

world.

Our four years together has been the best times that I have ever had. She is a fantastic

partner to have, and I am lucky to have snatched her up before she realized that she is out of

my league. It is my life’s goal to provide for her, support her in her ambitions, and to forever

honor her.

Ian and I first met online. It was during the height of Covid in our pre-requisite courses for nursing school and like many students I was struggling to be working, attending classes, and studying without interacting with anyone other than my roommates. Of course we had online classes and class wide group chats, but that doesn’t beat the accountability of having someone working next to you. I spent most of my time in the group chat for my Anatomy & Physiology class where I was starting to recognize a few names, one of which was Ian’s. The only thing I knew about. Him was his profile picture at the time was a basketball hoop against a clear sky. Pretty quickly into the semester he posted asking if anyone wanted to form a study group he would be at the library. Unfortunately I wasn’t available the first few times he posted. Eventually, one day when he posted that he would be studying in the library if anyone wanted to join him. I and a few other people were able to join at that time, so we formed a group of about 6 people to study for class. It was awful. Ian seemed to be the only person interested in actually studying and everyone else in the group seemed to know each other. I left with disappointingly little done and an interest in forming a much smaller study group with the guy in the crisp collared shirt and black mask. The next time I was headed to the library I privately messaged Ian and told him I was going to go study if he was available. Before I knew it we were meeting up nearly everyday to study at the same place for hours at a time. After a month of this I started wearing much cuter clothes and starting letting my hair down right before I entered the library.

Over time we slowly got to know each other. I would buy him meals with my extra meal passes I was desperately trying to use up and he would bring me snacks to remind me to eat (mostly spicy nuts that I didn’t like but carried around in my backpack anyway). 2 months passed and we began to talk about other classes and our personal beliefs and interests. He was explaining his art class project and I offered to help him write his essay for the class once he chose the art piece he was going to write about. He asked if I had time to visit the museum with him and pick out an art piece and I happily agreed since it would make helping him with his essay easier. My friend who had joined us stared at me with wide eyes and it wasn’t until after we left that she got excited about our date. Meanwhile, I was convinced there was no way it could be a date. Just a friendly hour long car ride to an art museum and an hour long drive back. The first thing I did was call my Mom and lament about how I really really wished it was a date but this was probably the next best thing. The day of, I dressed up in my nicest casual outfit, put on some make-up, covered up the make-up with my carefully selected face mask, and went to lunch with some of my friends, which included Hali. If I remember correctly, we were in disagreement about whether it was a date or not, which involved much blushing and pushing. During lunch we agreed that I should share my location with her just in case he was a murderer playing the long game (safety first, ladies). About 10 minutes into our meetup I finally admitted it was a date. As soon as I realized, I instantly lost about half my brain cells and desperately tried to rack my brain for something clever to say about the art. I think the only thing that saved me is he was just as nervous as I was! After our museum visit we walked around outside the UT campus and he asked me if he could kiss me and the rest is history. Kudos to Hali who knew it was a date and dealt with me being dramatic AF as I told her he was the most romantic guy ever as she dragged me around Target.