Alexander and Siobhan met at UC Berkeley during our time in the Cal Marching Band. Though we knew of each other and were generally friendly, our story truly began when Alexander broke his collarbone during a fateful ski trip.

Every year, the Cal Band organized a ski trip to Tahoe. Most participants were beginners, skiing or snowboarding for the first or second time. Inevitably, someone always ended up injured, and this particular year, it was Alexander’s turn. While snowboarding, he took a hard fall. Instead of landing on his back, or somewhere the impact could spread more evenly, he braced himself with his arm—and ended up breaking his collarbone.

During his recovery, Alexander couldn’t play his main instrument, the trombone. Wanting to stay involved with the band, he switched to the clarinet, an instrument he also happened to know quite well. This twist of fate brought him closer to Siobhan, who was also in the clarinet section. Spending more and more time together during rehearsals and performances, Alexander eventually worked up the courage to ask Siobhan on a date.

You'd think this date would be typical: restaurant, movie, maybe bowling. No.

Alexander asked Siobhan on a run through campus, and uphill, to the botanical gardens. As a cross-country runner, Alexander thought this would be a walk in the park. Little did he know, Siobhan hadn't run in years. The only sneakers she owned were Converse. Instead of throwing in the towel, Siobhan played it cool and accepted the challenge... but not before frantically running to a shoe store for a pair of running shoes. And to hide the fact that they were brand new, she took them outside to rub them in the rocks and dirt so that Alexander wouldn't think she wasn't fit.

Surprisingly, Siobhan kept pace all the way across campus and into the hills before finally tapping out. Breathless, Siobhan asked Alexander to slow things down to a nice, steady walk. Together, we strolled through the gardens, admired the flowers, dodged a few bees, and wrapped up our outing with some good food. Overall, the date was amazing and marked the start of a strong and happy relationship.