It’s always a bit of story to explain how we met, involving a friend of Austin’s from high school, a wonderful summer, a house of guys, and fireworks. Austin’s friend arrived in Providence, moving into our house on Williams Street in early June. I met Austin shortly thereafter. She soon joined our regular house meals and countless evenings spent talking and laughing on the porch of our house. After many dinners and evenings spent on the porch with old, beat up furniture and a myriad of mismatched Christmas lights strung up on the eaves, I finally worked up the courage to ask Austin to walk her home, just a few blocks away. A few days later, after a house party at a nearby friend's house with goofy polaroids, old refrigerators, and fence jumping, we made it to dinner together at a small, local restaurant. We had a delightful dinner and I was smitten and hoped that Austin was, too.

Spending that 4th of July together, grilling and celebrating America with friends, and watching fireworks on a perfect New England summer night crest the Providence Harbor, I was falling for Austin, hard. The rest of the summer went by in a blur and soon the school year started. Throughout the rest of senior year, Austin and I remained together. When we graduated, we made the decision to stay together while on the roof of a building at Brown, overlooking Thayer Street, looking at the nighttime stillness above and watching people and cars pass by below.

Austin moved to Boston while I made my way the great state of Wisconsin. It was tough, but we stayed together - I visited Boston while traveling for work while Austin came out to visit and spend time in Madison. After a year apart, Austin moved to Madison to pursue research at the University of Wisconsin while applying for medical school. We spent a great year exploring Wisconsin, from hiking to camping, while becoming the authority on the best cheese curds in the midwest. Pond hockey, cold winters, warm wood fires, spiked grog, great friends, and obnoxious but lovable Big Ten fans, were a staple in Madison, regarded fondly during our time in the midwest.

A year went by and Austin moved to Atlanta to begin medical school, another year apart began. I put my Delta status to good use and traveled through and to Atlanta often. We also went on some wonderful trips together as we grew closer as a couple. From a trip to Seattle & the San Juan's, a whirlwind tour through Napa & Sonoma, and an unforgettable trip through Thailand, not only is Austin shrewd, brilliant, and deeply thoughtful, she's also adventurous, daring, a wine-tasting savant, and a raw oyster connoisseur.

I moved to Atlanta following our trip to Thailand as I looked forward to being in the same city as Austin once more. Our time together in Atlanta has been wonderful, trying all the restaurants in the Atlanta area, hiking, biking, eating lots of tacos at our local restaurant down the street - and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Austin. And thus, with memories of our first trip to Seattle, we took a quick trip back, for oysters and a question to which I needed an answer.

-James

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The summer that we started dating, I would come over to James' and his roommates' apartment each night to cook and eat. As a group, we would have nightly food challenges of who could make the best new recipe and would crowd around the table tasting and laughing. My favorite memory from when James and I first met is cooking his mom's egg roll recipe in the kitchen of his senior year apartment. While James taught me how to stir fry and roll the egg rolls, he talked about his family: how his parents met, his bond with his grandma, and memories from growing up with Nick. James, known to be a bit oblivious when it comes to dating, sure brought his game with his dedication to his family, ability to make even the smallest tasks an adventure, and constant, radiating warmth and charisma. I love this memory because it embodies much of what is important to us in our relationship: family, food, travel, and filling our house with friends.
-Austin