Like all epic journeys, ours had a starting line. We met through a mutual friend who had set up a running club (I don’t love running) that would meet in South Lake Union and run up to Fremont Brewery (but I do love beer). Despite gasping for breath throughout the run, I managed a few intelligible sentences. That first day, we sat across from each other on wooden benches, ate stale pretzels, and drank Fremont pale ales.

T is from Mill Creek, WA, not far from Seattle. What she lacks in size, she makes up for with the fiercest spirit and drive I have ever seen – professionally, socially, mentally, and emotionally. Her mind is constantly active, going through the mental to-do list, and spending time each day thinking about the many people in her life and how they’re doing – sort of a mental “check-in” before she goes to bed every night. That’s who T really is: someone who relentlessly puts others before herself. On top of all that, she’s as humble as they come. Which is why I’m writing this and not her! You wouldn’t hear enough about how amazing she is.

I am from San Diego, CA. People sometimes ask why I decided to settle in Seattle, WA where it rains all the time. I tell them that in order to truly enjoy the sun, you have to first endure a bit of cold, dark, and endless rain. That usually prompts some puzzled looks. The truth is that I’ve fallen in love with more than Teresa here in the PNW; I love the rain, I love coffee and I drink it black, and I love wood burning fireplaces. I love exploring this awesome state., Any place you can ski down a mountain, fly fish for trout, and sit on a beach to watch the sunset all in a single day is a place I’d like to be.

It’s been a year of firsts for Teresa and me. Our first apartment together. Our first dog together. Our first pandemic together. We hope to have our first house together soon. We’ve always said that if we came across something that could be our forever home, we’d jump at it. There was a moment, as we wandered through a house a few days ago, when we just sort of knew this could be the one. For me, that moment was when I stood on the deck and looked out across the back yard. I thought of our future kids running through the sprinklers. I thought of inviting people over for dinner parties! I looked over at T who was busy admiring the landscaping. Today, though, it’s just me and my T. And in that moment, all I could think about was sitting on that deck with her, eating stale pretzels, and drinking Fremont pale ales.