Richard and Savannah met briefly in college via colliding friend groups, but the stars didn’t align for them until almost a decade later at Billiards pool hall in Columbia, Missouri. Savannah had been living in NYC for years, but was back in town for a funeral. Richard was living in Columbia after having finished graduate school.  They were reintroduced through mutual friends at the bar, and spent the rest of the week getting to know one another and developing a friendship. When Savannah returned to New York, they stayed in touch - and what started as friendship slowly turned deeper as occasional texts turned into long late night phone calls.

A few months later, Richard accepted a new job that would have him travel to Taiwan for a year. Fortunately, his departure date was heavily delayed and he was assigned temporarily to work in an office in Connecticut. Fate finally stepped in for the two, and on day one of his arrival, Covid shut down the entire office for an undetermined amount of time. Since he had to remain on the east coast, he decided to spend the weekend visiting Savannah in the city - and ended up staying with her the entire six weeks.

When Richard left for Taiwan, they both felt that they had finally found their person at the worst possible time. What followed was two and a half years of long distance, keeping in constant contact from opposite sides of the world, and spending endless time dreaming of the life they could have together. The two made international trips to four different countries to see one another. Later, when he relocated to Phoenix, Savannah spent the year traveling there every other month to deepen their connection, as well as to build a relationship with his incredible daughter Keira.

In May of 2024, Richard was finally able to transfer positions and move to New York. He, Savannah, and Keira now live on a flowery brownstone lined street in Brooklyn. That December, on the pier overlooking the Brooklyn bridge, he proposed to her as they watched the city lights sparkle on the water. They were finally in the same place at the right time, and are both excited to marry their best friend.