On Stacey and Dusty's first date, they met at Square Cafe for brunch, since Stacey had to work later that day at the Trib. The two bonded over working at newspapers: Stacey as a reporter and copy editor, and Dusty as a press operator and copy editor. The date went so well, Stacey, who was freelancing for short-lived Pittsburgh LGBTQ magazine "Equal" at the time, tried to "Tom Sawyer" him (not for the last time!) and gave him a stack of print magazines to take to businesses in Squirrel Hill, where he lived at the time.

By the end of the second date, though, they both knew they had something special. Stacey had bought two tickets to see St. Vincent and David Byrne perform at the Palace Theater in Greensburg, but didn't have a companion planned for the second ticket. Their original second date had been later, but they wanted to see each other again sooner and met up for the concert. But first, they drank an entire bottle of wine together (nerves?!) at an Italian restaurant. Even more than 10 years later, Dusty still remembers the spark that hit him the first time Stacey held his hand at the concert.

Another major milestone happened when Stacey accompanied him to adopt a cat. Sure, Stacey liked the cat whose shelter name was "Meatball," but you should be able to guess who won their hearts with his abundant meows and friendly purrs: Nova. Stacey remembers how much Nova hated being inside the cardboard carrier on the ride home, and the excitement of letting him roam in Dusty's apartment for the first time. Now, their little family has meant making lots of memories with "The Prince" — Mr. Nova Meowmers Cattington III (as they both like to jokingly call him when he acts like a regal gentleman).

Over the past 10 years, there have been plenty of big moments — like when Dusty graduated from Cal U with his bachelor's degree; when he and Stacey had dinner to help decide that she should leave her full-time job and pursue her master's degree as a graduate assistant at Point Park, then when she graduated three years later; when they bought their house in 2020; and every blowout Halloween party in between — but also the little moments. These are etched in Stacey's memory including times spent running together through Frick Park and down the Boulevard of the Allies for the Great Race; watching a shooting star together when Dusty visited Stacey this past summer at Chautauqua; every time they (still!) say "thank you" to each other when they finish a chore; every smush on the couch or drive in the car (when Stacey pretends she knows the directions but Dusty inevitably ends up entering the address in the GPS).