Meetcute:

Nils & Tara are introduced by Aaron & Marybeth Senser

Pictured: Nils, Aaron, Marybeth at the top of Vail Mountain, 3 yrs later (Tara took the picture)

Five years.

Camping trips, idyllic swims, sweeping mountains.

Protests, canvassing, clinic escorting and activism.

Heated debates about justice and fantasy novels.

Nils is the C.S. Lewis to Tara's J.R.R. Tolkien.

Falling into the safety of each other's arms until we, at least, are strong and safe and whole.

Believe that the family we will make is worth the world.

Montrose Bird Sanctuary

A snowstorm blustering on the eve of a pandemic

The Chicago Skyline glittering against frigid lakeside wind

A promise to pledge our lives to each other

A rose ring growing out of the frost.

Many relationships were tested in fire during the shelter-in-place orders of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our relationship, recently engaged, grew and flourished.

We spent precious time together that otherwise would never have manifested. We shared tv and movies from our childhoods. We made new friendships and nourished the old ones.

We got to know our community better than ever. We got involved in mutual aid and new kinds of activism. We both won NaNoWriMo within hours of each other, a couple's friendly competition fueling the fire of creativity. We explored the Midwest's state parks and had many adventures that helped us trust each other more intimately than ever while the chaos of the world raged around us.

You might think fantasy book nerds are bad at sports, and you would be right.

However, sign us up for the right sport--and we can be very dangerous over short distances.

Nils and Tara are novice members of the Chicago Swordplay Guild with facilities at Forteza Fitness. We look forward to showing off some of our new skills at the wedding!

Don't worry we are deep in safety training.