For everyone who asked
"so how did you two meet?"
here's the long version.
How We Met
It started in Ryan's apartment at WSU in September of 2018. His roommate Alondra made the introduction. Neither of them can tell you what was said that night, only that Ryan was doing considerably more of the talking.
Then Tay left for the Dominican Republic, and the whole thing had to wait. The day after she got back, Ryan asked if she wanted to hang out.
She picked the movie. They saw Hereditary at the campus theatre. Ryan asked if he could put his arm around her, then added that it wasn't really that scary.
Tay: It was that scary.
Ryan: I stand by the arm.
Future Ryan: That's the night we both count as the start.
The Mountain
In 2019 we drove north to Whistler to ski. Tay had never skied. Ryan hadn't in years. We had, between us, roughly the confidence of one competent skier.
We rode the chairlift exactly once. Tay took a spectacular spill. Somewhere below that we admitted defeat, unclipped our skis, and walked the rest of the way down in complete silence.
Then we got to the village, sat down, and ate crepes. They were so good they retroactively fixed the entire day, and we still bring them up years later.
Growing Together
- 2022Tay moved in. One studio in Renton, two people, two cats.
- 2022Champ and Blue forgave us. Blue still mentions it.
- 2023Mexico. First passport stamp together.
- 2023Christmas with Tay's family. First of many.
- 2024London.
- 2025Tokyo. See Chapter Five.
- 2027July 17 · the wedding, at The Golf Club at Newcastle.
Mostly it wasn't the big moments. It was a place the size of a hallway, two cats who owned the bed, and figuring out that a small apartment is a good place to decide you want a much bigger life together.
Ryan: One closet. We are stronger for it.
Tay: I won the closet.
Favorite Memories
flip a card. every one is true.
Future Tay: we were so broke and so happy.
Ryan: Tay. They gave you an appetizer and two entrees for twenty bucks. We weren't spending money. We were saving it.
Tay: That is not what saving is.
Ryan: We saved forty dollars a week for a year. Do the math.
Tay: We ate there forty times.
The Proposal
Tokyo. A restaurant called The Peter. Ryan called ahead, so the waiter kept Tay talking while he excused himself, changed into a black suit in the restroom, and forgot how to tie a tie he has tied a hundred times.
He'd been nervous the entire flight over. Then he walked back to the table, knelt down, and everything went quiet and easy. Neither of them remembers the meal.
Ryan: Nervous for eleven hours. Calm the second I knelt.
Tay: I carried it a MILE.
The People Who Got Us Here
tap a face, we left them each a note.
Who Said It?
"Let’s stop and grab some Appletizers."
"What a beautiful day for a beautiful Tay."
"The sun is shinin’ for a wonderful Ryan."
"He’s just a little dude, little dude, little dude!"
"I love a bundle. Nothing better than a good bundle."
"We’re living in a simulation, none of this is even real."
Still On The List
- SomedayConquer Whistler Blackcomb. Properly. Lessons this time.
- OngoingMore stamps. The list grows faster than we cross things off it.
- EventuallyA place with more than one closet.
- 2027July 17 · The Golf Club at Newcastle. A day we'll never forget, because every one of you is in it.
A Letter from Tay
Add to Our Scrapbook
That's the story so far.
The best chapter starts at the altar.
Haven't RSVP'd yet? That's the one thing we still need from you.
RSVPIncludes every note and photo left by our guests.
Future us: thanks for reading. now go practice your dance moves.
Pinned by our guests
every note left in this book lands here ↓