Ten years, the short version.
How two people found each other, kept choosing each other, and decided to make a whole day of it.
Six hours on Skype, then so much more.
James and I first met in 2015 through a chance pairing in an online cultural exchange program between our universities. The program connected Russian speakers in Moscow with English speakers at Colorado State University in Fort Collins so we could practice each other’s languages. What began as a simple six-hour assignment quickly turned into something more — every time we spoke on Skype, our conversations drifted far beyond the scheduled hour and the suggested topics. We laughed easily and talked for hours. Somewhere along the way, we discovered something even stranger: despite meeting online, we had both spent time living in the very same neighborhoods of Moscow.
The conversation found its way back.
Even after the program ended, we stayed in touch, sharing small glimpses of our lives as the years passed. It wasn’t until the summer of 2022 that we began speaking more regularly again, and by 2023 we realized something had quietly changed — our connection was deepening. Around that same time, I moved to the United Kingdom to begin my Master’s degree. Because Americans can travel freely to the UK, James saw it as the perfect opportunity for us to finally meet in person.
Twelve days together, and a life in motion.
On December 27, 2023, we met for the very first time at Heathrow Airport and set off together on an unforgettable twelve-day road trip. What began as a simple journey soon became the beginning of something far greater. Though we eventually returned to our separate lives, the distance never truly separated us. Through daily conversations on Telegram, our friendship deepened into something lasting, as each message quietly wove our lives closer together. Then, beginning in December 2024, our story continued to unfold. Over the months that followed, we volunteered on farms, worked side by side, and cared for dogs in homes across the countryside. Together we discovered new towns, unfamiliar paths, and welcoming places, but even more importantly, we discovered the quiet beauty of everyday life shared with one another. In the ordinary rhythms of each day—morning walks, shared meals, meaningful work, and peaceful evenings—we found a place that felt like home, wherever we happened to be.
A question, and a very easy answer.
In February 2025, James proposed at the top of Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Mary happily said, “Yes.” After nearly six months of living, working, and traveling together in the UK, Dubai, and Armenia, we eventually had to say goodbye. Knowing our time together was limited made us appreciate every moment even more. We loved every first we shared—our first Christmas, our first trip to the cinema, singing in a church choir, wandering through Sunday markets, and taking long walks hand in hand. Looking back, it wasn’t the big adventures that mattered most, but the simple moments we got to share together. And somehow, they still feel just as special.
The next chapter, together.
Over the months that followed, James visited two more times, and our adventures continued. Together, we wandered through the bustling bazaars of Turkey, explored the ancient churches and biblical history of Lebanon, completed our first 10K through the Bath countryside, drove the winding roads of the Welsh mountains, volunteered on homesteads, and cared for horses, cats, chickens, cows, and dogs. Along the way, we discovered that no matter where life took us, we were happiest simply sharing it together. Then came the news we had been hoping and praying for—Mary's K-1 visa was approved. After years of distance, countless flights, and more goodbyes than we ever wanted, we could finally stop planning our next reunion and start planning our future. And that brings us here today.
…and we hope you’ll be there.
We would love nothing more than to begin this next chapter with you on the 27th of September, 2026.