After graduating different pharmacy schools in 2019, we both moved to the Boston area for post-doctoral fellowships at different pharmaceutical companies. After a month, our companies sent us to a week-long training conference. Not surprisingly, we ended up becoming more interested in getting to know each other than the actual presentations themselves!

C: Skiing! Growing up in Mississippi, this was definitely a foreign activity to me, but I've now graduated from 'greens' to 'blues' recently! Also a huge fan of the après-ski :)
S: Taiwanese and Southern food. I have eaten more butter in the last few years than my lifetime combined.

C: Anything in the realm of 80s dystopian although at this point, I don't think there's anything left that we haven't seen!
S: Horror, the only person I know that likes horror as much as, if not more than, me.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Catherine fell asleep during an Edgar Allan Poe reading by an accomplished re-enactor. Although falling asleep at a short story reading may not seem unusual, the actor had dedicated his life to embodying Poe and delivering his stories with passion. I could see the sorrow and disappointment in the actor's eyes after seeing Catherine soundly asleep during his performance, but hey, it probably helped him to embody a more depressing Poe.

We tried fermented shark on our trip to Iceland, one of their national dishes (fun fact: it is actually poisonous if eaten fresh). The taste was...interesting and strongly reminiscent of what we imagine ammonia tastes like.

C: During the Christmas season a couple years ago, we decided it would be fun/cozy to ride on one of the Polar Express trains in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. The 90-minute train ride consisted of screaming and crying children, an underwhelming cup of hot cocoa, and unenthusiastic workers dressed as elves attempting to sing Christmas carols to the whole cabin. Also, our destination was indicated by a meager lit-up sign that read "North Pole". Needless to say, we were glad when the ride ended!
S: Exploring a remote town in rural Maine, we stumbled upon the only restaurant that we assumed would be a casual dining spot. However, we were surprised when we sat down and realized that the restaurant was a lavish, multicourse prix-fixe dinner. We were the only ones wearing sweatpants amidst a room of elegantly dressed patrons in an intimate one-room restaurant. To add to the awkwardness, the couple next to us even got engaged during the course of their dinner.

C: Crème brûlée, ceviche, or oysters.
S: Cornbread (especially when it comes in a skillet) and bread pudding.

C: Hard to pick, but every year since we started dating, we have spent every July 4th weekend in Maine (very quintessential Americana). We love kayaking around Boothbay Harbor, searching for sea glass, exploring the small harbor towns & lighthouses, and eating as many lobster rolls and oysters as we can stuff ourselves with.
S: Halloween! We decorate the house and run a month-long horror movie marathon. Every weekend in October we also try to take a Halloween-themed day trip to somewhere around New England.

Depending on the season, you may find us hiking in the White Mountains, skiing, heading to the beach, trying a new restaurant, hanging out with Cleo (our puppy girl!), or any random fun adventure that gets us out of the house!

C: Shortly after we started dating, we both just 'knew' and told each other so. I remember telling all my friends I had met the guy I was going to marry after a few weeks of knowing each other - not surprisingly, everyone thought I was crazy, aaaand here we are!
S: Within 2 weeks of dating each other. Catherine is such an amazing adventures person and she shared so many of my interests, it was a sealed deal from the start.