Being back in Syracuse this weekend reminded me of this first picture we took together and all of our other JVC dating adventures. I remembered talking with you at a retreat, then making plans for you to visit from Hartford for our Leap Year party. I remembered you holding my hand for the first time at the bar we went to the night before our party. I remembered our first "date" to Wegmen's grocery store to buy hangover supplies (we were still young and crazy back then). I remembered all of the trips we took to meet up around the east coast. I remembered how we challenged us to be present in our respective cities so we would fully appreciate the limited time in our volunteer year. I remembered hiking the Appalachian Trail and making plans to date long distance between Portland and Chicago.
I thought of all the circumstances that had to come together for us to meet and fall in love. I'm so glad seredinipity was on our side. It's so fun to remember our beginnings and to feel thankful for how far we've come together.