W&M: The Story.

In our third semester of grad school in NYC, we took the most boring class ever. Lots of commiserating ensued. Michael, very debonair and fancy, swept me off my feet in a swift 6 months through a concerted G-chat charm campaign.

 

overcome by love on a bench.

Successful in his wooing, we promptly became inseparable.  So much so that when we both got jobs in Washington D.C., we decided to live in one small room together! Having not murdered each other, and actually fallen even more in love (saps), Michael proposed marriage to me 2 years 3 months and 26 days after we officially began dating. 

Whitney on Michael: Michael comes from Baltimore; you all know this if you've spoken to him for more than 5 seconds. He's the only boy amidst 3 sisters. Wait, before we go any further, he once beat Michael Phelps in a swimming match when they were like 7. This is (was?) big news.

Michael is a scientist of politics by trade; he is so smart! But, that's only one reason that I love him. The others include, in no specific order and by no means an exhaustive list: his obsession with plants, herbs specifically; the way he cooks dinner almost every night and cleans afterward; the fact that he knows to give me a snack before we embark on any car journey longer than 4 minutes, so hunger inducing!; his ability to gauge the difference between my estimation of a crisis and a real crisis; his question: "but how is it competitive?" in the least competitive environments possible (cocktail parties); the way he laughs with (at?) Susan, argues politics with Saul, and embraces my silly family & all of my friends; mostly, his very long arms wrapped around me in celebration, sadness, happiness, exhaustion. 

He's many things to many people: friend, uncle, brother, son, grandson, competitor, listener, care-taker, drinking buddy, fantastical footblob teammate (?). To me, he's my good friend, the best one even! Oh, how I love him.
 

Michael on Whitney: Whitney was born, raised, and forever adores Swampscott, MA. As a baby and small child, she was so perfect, that Susan and Saul quit when they were ahead, and she has no human siblings. As for non-human siblings, she was raised with two cats, Ella (rest in peace) and Josee (still very much alive and meowing away).

When I was first introduced to Whitney, I learned a very important lesson, and also did not make the greatest first impression. I asked, "where are you from." When Whitney responded, "Boston," knowing not too much about Boston, and slightly nervous around such a beautiful woman I retorted, "I hate the Red Sox." Whitney looking dismissingly said, "Who cares about sports."From then on, I learned not to talk about sports to Whitney unless it is the Winter Olympics and Figure Skating.

In class, the first moment that I thought Whitney was somebody I could love for the rest of my life, was when during a presentation, she casually made a sophisticated argument concerning the over-emphasis of non-governmental efforts on relatively inconsequential issues by stating, "Nobody wears t-shirts fighting against diarrhea despite it accounting for 2.2 million deaths annually."

Whitney is short in stature, but overflowing this tiny frame is her humor, intelligence, loyalty, delight in kittens, empathy, grace, love of fonts and designsponge, beauty, patience, consideration, and love. Not only is Whitney the love of my life, but she is also my greatest teacher and tv buddy (besides noted t.v. critic alan sepinwall).

 Further photographic evidence that we love each other:

 always giggling.

lounging.

 celebrating our 3 year anniversary.

finally, betrothed!