When asked how long we’ve been together, we always say it’s somewhere between four and ten years. While we can’t agree on the exact time of year we met, it was Fall 2015/Winter 2016, during Jesse’s freshman year and Amanda’s sophomore year.

It was an uncharacteristically warm day, which meant Amanda and her friends were skipping class and spending time on the Eric A. Friedheim Quadrangle at American University. Jesse came to hang out with some mutual friends (thanks, Vaishant and Mike). We don’t remember much from that day, but we suppose the conversation was good because throughout the following semester, we spent a lot of time together at parties, on the quad, studying in SIS, hanging out at the Dav, etc. 

That summer, we spent time at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market on Sunday mornings, at Amanda and Shan’s apartment in the Berks, and at Open City at the National Cathedral (where we would get engaged eight years later).

Since then, we’ve been in one long conversation with each other. No matter where we were in the world (or in our relationship status) we’ve been each other's confidant, favorite dinner date, backgammon opponent, support system - true constants. We’ve grown up together and are lucky enough to start growing old together.