She first appeared to me on a screen.

Sent by a digital algorithm.

I swiped.

My profile had a picture of me holding a dog that wasn’t mine.

It was the sole image that moved her to swiping back.

Score.

We matched, August 2.

There was also a picture of me skydiving.

Her first message:

When will we jump?

My first response:

Next summer at my favorite place in Hawaii, for our 1 year anniversary.

Slick as hell.

Our first date was set—August 8.

She literally forgot about it and nearly ghosted me.

I waited around for a bit like a gentleman (simp).

She eventually showed and we talked on a bench for 4 hours.

But only after we stared at each other in forced silence for 60 seconds as a test.

Fast forward a month.

I wrote 32 bars asking her to be my girlfriend.

Straight rizz.

Fast forward to two days after Christmas.

Some random old guy said she was my wife in an empty building somewhere.

Fast forward again.

We arrived in Hawaii on August 2.

And jumped out of a plane on August 8.

Just as promised, 1 year later.

Epic.

The end.

But really the beginning.

It’s been 4 years now and only getting better.

There’s few things in life that rival the joy of a proper significant other.

Someone to come home to and spoon.

Someone to help you ponder existential mysteries and smell your farts.

Someone to cry with you at the end of Toy Story 3 for the 69th time.

Someone to love and love you in return.

Of course, love is a lazy word.

What even is love?

Healthy, romantic love?

It’s a chemical reaction that compels animals to breed.

And familiarity over time.

My wife knows this, as do I.

When I first said I “love” her, I told her what that really means.

It means I cherish her presence.

Our values align.

She’s hot.

She makes me a better person.

She’s really hot.

I’ve got her back like no one else.

Laundry and back aches.

Civil war and alien invasions.

It’s me and her through thick and thin.

The 3 Ls of a happy union.

Live, laugh, love.

Loyalty.

Learning.

Lots of copulation.

Sometimes it’s hard (see what I did there).

Long-term relationships aren’t trouble-free.

But they’re worth it.

None of the good stuff in life comes without challenge.

Successfully integrating with another human being is quite the feat.

Because we’re all different kinds of messed up.

Yet the merging is beautiful.

It’s a dance.

And I’m really glad I found the right partner.

Lucky, for sure.

Born and raised 4,000 miles apart.

Countless stars aligning to arrange our proximity.

Linked by an app on a iPhone.

(Thanks, Steve.)

(Also, thanks mom for letting me hold your dog for that pic).

Most of all, thank you to the woman I speak of.

The woman who forever changed my life.

The woman who chooses me.