In the summer of 2015 I flew to Sweden and met him in person. I remember getting off of the plane and being nervous as hell. I'd never travelled outside of the US before, and on top of that I was meeting up with someone I'd only ever talked to over skype. Looking back it was a pretty insane thing to do, but I was fucking crazy about this dude.

He picked me up from the airport, immediately scooping me into his arms as soon as he could. He gave me a kiss and I felt like I was going to combust into flames. We took the bus from Arlanda to his hometown and I got to be in his bedroom for the very first time. This part sticks out in my mind because I felt so overwhelmed being in there, I had been crazy about him for months before we started dating. I never thought I'd get to that point. It was surreal as hell. I felt like I was gonna vomit. In a good way.

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Our first date was to Gröna Lund and Simon talked me into getting on a rollercoaster despite my fear of heights. I was scared as hell, but I'll admit that I really wanted to impress him, and I'd be damned if I was gonna let my stupid fears get in the way of having fun with the only person on earth that's ever mattered to me.

We got cotton candy afterword and sat in the shade of a ride to share it. I remember it was white instead of pink or blue. I remember feeling like I'd won some kind of lottery sitting there next to him. We went on a few more rides after that and some random guy who had been to the US heard my accent and came to talk to me when we sat down to eat lunch. Christ, it was a really good, normal day. Probably one of the last times I ever acted like a human being.

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In the winter of 2016, Simon came to the US to visit me and we spent our first Christmas together. I was pretty nervous to have him over, considering he comes from a beautiful city like Stockholm and I come from a tiny town in the southern US, living out of a trailer house in a field. Luckily, though, he loved it, and we had a pretty fuckin' magical time. He got along great with my sisters and mom, I couldn't have asked for a better present.

It was a lot of fun introducing him to my family's traditions and the overall experience of a Christmas in the US. I remember he told me that he'd never had such a close-knit kind of holiday before, his family being more on the distant side, and I felt like I could die happy knowing I gave him even a taste of that kind of love. Not just from me, but my family too. They like him more than they like me for sure, but I can't blame them becuase so do I.

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By 2017 I had become an honorary member of his family and I was invited to his brother's wedding. We got to stay at a ski resort in the mountains up north and I, coming from a flatass place like Oklahoma, got to experience views I'd never seen before in my life. We ate breakfast next to a huge set of windows that looked out onto the valley next to the mountain. It was so gorgeous.

But what I remember most from this trip is the wedding party, because it was at that party, in a tiny boathouse full of Swedes, that I fell in love all over again. Simon whispered to me as the family made their speeches, translating for me while the guy who was sitting across the table from me- related to Simon somehow- continued refilling my wine glass until I couldn't see straight anymore. The music started, Simon sung love song lyrics to me that I couldn't understand while we danced to the music, and again all I could think of was how lucky I'd been to meet him.

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In 2019 we started apartment hunting and found a place in the town over from his hometown. It was a little bit stressful, seeing as getting a place to live is a real competition over here, but we were successful! And we moved into a tiny spot that was just the right size for us.

Of course, I had to go home right after we found it, though my sisters did visit Sweden to see our new place and to explore the city. Simon did a great job being a tour guide and we even went to see the royal palace. That was really wild. And then, of course, covid hit a few months later right after we got back to the US. This trip was the last time we saw each other for the next two years. It's a very bittersweet memory... But our love preservered as it always had, hearts heavy with longing.

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2021 rolls around and after some of the most stressful years of my entire existance, I was finally granted entry into Sweden as a resident of the country. Simon flew to the US to spend Christmas with me and my family, and then the two of us flew back to Sweden for the new year. It was some of the most relief I have ever felt to step out of Arlanda knowing I was home for good. I was finally here to stay, I never had to say another goodbye again.

We started building our life together, finally, after 6 years of heart-wrenching distance and heartbreaking airport goodbyes, we never had to be apart again. And we haven't been since.

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And finally, in 2024, my love and I finally got married. There was no wedding since neither of us had the means to plan something like that, but I didn't need something that flashy. Instead, we tied the knot at a courthouse in Texas and had a tiny party with my family. My mom made us a little cake, we had champagne, and celebrated 9 years of devotion.

Every day I get to wake up next to the man I adore, every night I get to hold him close as we fall asleep. Two countries are aware of and recognize our unity and the final step to never being apart again has been achieved. I never want anyone else.

Here's to hoping we get many more years together. I never ever want it to end. He is my whole world, he is everything I desire and more. My life has only improved with him in it, through ups and downs and everything life has thrown our way, we stayed a team. He continues to save my life just by loving me. I'm the luckiest motherfucker on the planet.