Illinois sandstone

Winter's touch, chance encounter

A candle is lit

We met on a climbing trip to the Holy Boulders, a climbing spot in southern Illinois, in early 2022. Yan remembered Jimmy making a very fine Shakshuka, a strong start for someone trying to impress with tomatoes and eggs. One trip turned into another, and somewhere between crash pads and board games, we fell for each other.

Szechuan, taste of heat

Flowers and feelings in bloom

Tesfa, passed the test

Our first “unofficial date” was at a Szechuan restaurant, the numbing spice of the cold noodles didn’t numb our feelings for each other. For our official first date, we wandered through the lush greenery of the Lincoln Park Conservatory, ran into a tourist who insisted on taking a photo for us and had our first photo together. Jimmy took Yan for some Ethiopian food at Tesfa that totally sealed the deal.

Sleepy cat needs Food

Qingdao beer, Tuscany wine

Chicago future

We’ve had so many big moments in our relationship as we started building our lives together. Trips to China to meet Yan’s parents, meeting Jimmy’s nephews, and painting a new condo barely even cover it. That doesn’t mean we appreciate the small moments in our relationship, whether we’re cuddling up to a Ghibli movie or serving up dinner to a food driven cat. We can’t wait our next big moment and our future with all of you!