We met in an unlikely place during a tumultuous time in 2015. We were in a support group together. I was pregnant at the time, and if you know Mercedez, you know that she was not trying to talk to me (pregnant women freak her out). But I did make her talk to me eventually. We would take walks and share our hopes, dreams, family dynamics, and fears.

Mercedez came into my life exactly when I needed her to. I was going through many big things then, and she supported me through all of it. She didn't try to change things for me but just listened.

In September 2016, we thought we would try more than just friendship. She was living 3.5 hours away at the time. She would come and visit me often when she was not working. After months of commuting, she began to explore moving to Madison. She didn't know anyone in Madison, and moving here was a significant risk.

She began to look at jobs and places to live in Madison. She found a job and a place to live. She only stayed there a little while because we both worked opposite shifts, so it didn't make sense for her to continue paying rent elsewhere.

The rest is somewhat history. I know many people say they should marry their best friend or their spouse should be their best friend. I think I indeed found a person I genuinely enjoy spending time with, doing everything, all the time. While we both may have different days that we get crispy or moody, we continue to work through things and love one another through it. We have been on many incredible trips and adventures over the past 7.5 years. We laughed until we cried and almost peed our pants. We have lost people that we hold dear to our hearts and loved each other through the grief. We have parented the children through brain tumors, co-parenting with the ex, and the growing pains of raising little humans into bigger ones.

We try not to take each other or life too seriously. If anything, she puts up with my moodiness more than I have to hers. Cedez works with her hands, while I work with hearts, yet she seeks to support me through hard times.

While we never know how long we will be on this earth with one another, we make each day count in trying to create a safe home, a loving and supportive family, security for our children, friends who are closer to family, playing sports, going to concerts, flipping out of airplanes, taking long road trips, arguing over who is going to take the spider outside this time, playing video games and board games, and saving for a lifetime of enjoyment.

Here's to many more magical days alongside you!