Alex and Rachael didn't meet on a dating site, in a bar, or at work, but in a taxi line on Halloween in 2012.

But we'll get to that in a moment.

Alex and Rachael's story truly begins two weeks prior to that Halloween, in the apartment Rachael shared with their mutual friend, Kuuku. Alex and Kuuku were hanging out one night while Rachael was out of town and rather than traveling back to his house in the suburbs, Kuuku graciously offered Alex his roommate's bed for the night. What a guy! At the time, Alex did not know Rachael but Kuuku was certain she wouldn't mind. It turns out Kuuku didn't know his roommate as well as he thought because, when Rachael returned from her trip, she immediately grilled Kuuku to learn who slept in her bed.

On the night of October 26^th, 2012, many of Des Moines' residents were out celebrating Halloween. Rachael and six of her friends did a coordinated costume of the 7 Deadly Sins, with Rachael dressing as "Gluttony". The seven of them went out that night to bars on Court Avenue. Rachael brought a bucket of candy and handed it out to everyone she met, encouraging gluttonous behavior. Alex had gone to a Halloween party dressed as Felix Baumgartner, better known as "the Red Bull guy who skydived from space". As a consequence of picking such an obscure costume, he spent a good portion of the night 1) explaining (in great detail) who he was and 2) jumping off tables as a demonstration. After the party, tired of being dressed as the least-known skydiver in history, Alex put on normal clothes and met up with some friends on Court Avenue.

Since it was 2012 and Uber had not yet made its way to the Midwest, the usual and customary method of transportation at the end of a long, libation-filled night was walking to the corner of Court and 2^nd to get in the taxi line. As chance would have it, Alex's and Rachael's groups both got to the taxi line at the same time. Rachael recognized Alex as "the guy who slept in her bed" and went up to introduce herself and tell him never to do that again. Of all the common sights to see in the Court Ave taxi line - girls crying, bros fighting, and cops teasing drunks - love was not one of them. However, as Rachael educated Alex on the basics of respecting other people's personal space, the beginnings of happily-ever-after were set in motion.

Although Rachael and Alex both attended Drake University, were in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and were active in Greek life, they had never met during college. And life was still making it hard for them to get to know each other better. One week after Halloween, Alex headed to Tampa for his next pharmacy school rotation. Following pharmacy school, Alex was planning to move to St. Louis for law school. Knowing all this, the only commitment they made before Alex left for Florida was to "keep in touch".

The next 7 weeks proved that their desire to stay connected was very strong. Alex would call Rachael during his 90-minute commute between his brother's house in Clearwater and the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. Rachael would text Alex while she was nannying for two-year-old twins. They once even talked for four straight hours while Alex was driving from the west coast to the east coast of Florida to spend Thanksgiving with his grandparents. During those conversations, they would discuss everything from favorite movies and bands to politics and career goals. When Alex returned to Des Moines shortly after New Years' day 2013, they decided to make it "official" and started dating.

The decision to start a relationship dramatically changed the trajectory of their lives. Instead of going to Law school, Alex sought a residency with an innovative healthcare technology company in West Des Moines where he still works today. Rachael, instead of moving to Philadelphia and finding a job while living with her cousin, began her career with Make-A-Wish Iowa, where she still works today.

Someday, when we tell our children about "our story", there might be some things they won't understand - like needing to "stand in a taxi line" to get home instead of taking a self-driving hover rocket ship - but the idea of "fate" and "everything happens for a reason" and "you think you have plans until someone comes along and changes everything" will hopefully be messages they understand. Thanks for reading and being a part of our story!

- Alex & Rachael