Unbeknownst to us, our story began Fall 2012 at the Intuit Art Museum in Chicago during the orientation for our upcoming study abroad trip to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Rafi, prideful of all things Michigan, was bonding with one of the program instructors over his recently acquired Michigan-made hot mustard at the condiment end of the sandwich station. Meanwhile, Hoa, who takes her food seriously, was standing by thinking, “Honestly… will this guy ever put down the mustard?”

Fast forward a few months and a few thousand miles, for three weeks, we found ourselves ascending cobblestone streets, savoring museum café chocolate cakes, and reading poems on train rides that paralleled the edges of the Alps. The spark was there, even if it took a little time to catch fire.

Once Hoa agreed to 'go steady,' three years of distance ensued (Chicago-Detroit and Chicago-Tel Aviv). While unconventional for some, those miles became our secret ingredient, teaching us patience, humor, and how to show up for each other in ways we never expected.

Our story has unfolded in moments big and small: falafel in Jerusalem, white-knuckle drives up to Masada, standing sushi dates and late night blues in Chicago, tent camping from the Dakotas to the Tetons to Zion, annual Little Rock road trips with antique treasures in tow, San Francisco for artist retrospectives, New York for plays in the round, film festival premieres, red carpets, dance floors, and quiet mornings filled with books, coffee, and pup snugs.

Turns out, hot mustard is the ultimate accoutremont with forever love.