We met at UMBC, just outside of Baltimore, Md. We started considering something romantic at a Halloween party in 2012. (Amanda put more effort into her costume).
Amanda graduated the year before with a degree in environmental studies. She was living in Rockville, Md., and serving in the Chesapeake Conservation Corps. Thomas was finishing up a geography degree.
After graduation, Thomas moved to Washington, D.C. to start his career. With Amanda nearby in Rockville, Md., they started building their lives and growing closer together.
Over the next seven years...
Amanda started working at an energy efficiency consulting company.
Thomas was assigned to a project on Oahu, Hawaii, for six months. (Amanda wasn't very happy about that, but she did enjoy visiting.)
Amanda earned a graduate degree in education at Loyola University and started pursuing her passion as a elementary school teacher.
We traveled the world...
...well, some of it anyway...
...we learned a lot about ourselves and each other...
...we made a home on Capitol Hill....
... and we bought a home in Capitol View Park, Md.