JP and I had our first date in 2019 at a coffee shop at 4pm. It lasted one minute because the coffee shop also closed at 4pm. We moved to a tiki bar across the street instead (which made more sense anyway because JP didn't drink coffee at that time...5 years later, he drinks more coffee than me! An addiction that is entirely my fault.) A few dates later, we went apple picking at Eckert's and took our first picture together!

JP and I have taken so many adventures during the past 5 years. I've added more than a dozen countries to my Have Visited list including Mexico (pictured above!), Jamaica, Iceland, France, England, and more! From taking cruises, to ziplining through the jungle, to learning how to ski, we've made travel a defining feature of our couple identity.

We adopted Nala in February of 2020 after dating for 6 months...when you know, you know! Until we moved in together in 2022, we had shared custody. Nala would spend a week or two with me and then a week or two at JP's. She was a well-traveled COVID kitty. For those of you who know Nala, you know that she did not stay this size for long.

Our secondary couple style is school. In the past 5 years, I graduated with my PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Saint Louis University and JP graduated with his MD and MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. Between us, we have most of the degrees that a person can get, which we realize is a weird hobby. We expect that Nala will get a JD to complete the set.

JP matched to an Anesthesiology residency in Galveston, TX and we moved to the island in June of 2024. Since then, we bought a house and have settled into our new jobs. I'm also at UTMB working as a Senior Learning Specialist in the original building of the oldest medical school in Texas (pictured). It's right next to the hospital that JP is in, so we get to have lunch together most days!

We decided Nala needed a sister, so we adopted Tuna in August of 2024. The four of us are loving island life!