By Way of Introduction
Some of you were there for all of it. Others are meeting one of us for the first time. For both, the short version.
How We Met
We met at the University of Rochester. Kshitij was at Simon Business School, finishing his master's. Josephine was a junior.
Our first date was at a coffee shop called Locals Only. In the weeks that followed, Kshitij began waking before dawn to walk Josephine to the boathouse for rowing practice, so that she would not cross the bridge alone in the dark. We watched the sun set from that same bridge more times than we can count.
The Years Between
One of our early dates ended on the hill behind Josephine's dorm. We did not want the night to be over, so we went sledding.
Since then we have gone considerably further. We spent an afternoon at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum while Kshitij was interning in Boston, and many more at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester. We hiked Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and walked out to Green Sands Beach, which is a long way on foot and worth every step.
For some years now we have been long distance, Kshitij in San Francisco and Josephine in Columbus. We have kept several airlines comfortably in business. The flight has never been the difficult part. It is the leaving.
The Proposal
Josephine spent her childhood summers in Maine and had not been back in years. Kshitij planned the trip for months and told her nothing, so she believed she was simply going somewhere she had loved as a child, with him, for the first time.
He proposed on the beach at Cape Elizabeth. It was freezing, and neither of us noticed. We stayed out on the sand long after we should have gone in.
June 2027
Three ceremonies, two days, and one very long and very happy dinner. We are glad you are coming.
A Small Favor
There is one song that will get you out of your chair. Tell us what it is, and we will see that the DJ has it.