The photos to the right were taken in NYC the night of July 30th, 2011 and August 5th, 2011. First picture is the very day Katie & Phellix met, second picture is six days after they met. Literally six days after. He knew there was no letting go, and she knew there was no looking back. They saw each other almost every day that month. Something always told them it was the beginning of forever. Later that month, Katie was off to Boston for her freshman year of college and Phellix was off to study abroad in Chile for the first semester of his Junior year in college. They decided to still keep in touch as lover friends (lol) and always made time for each other even through the distance. After year 1 of knowing each other, Katie ended up moving back to NYC and Phellix, well, he lived in many places. Summer of 2012, he taught in Nicaragua and came back to NYC for a few weeks. You best believe they reunited the day he touched down.

They met up at Union Square Park and Phellix handed Katie the most beautiful painting of two birds overlooking a river in Nicaragua. He painted it just for her. The courting was real…And, the butterflies were eating her stomach right up! The love between them was still there. Phellix went back to Gettysburg, PA to finish his senior year of college. They remained lover friends who were head over heels for each other, but knew youth comes once and it is to be lived, darling. In 2013, Phellix applied to be a teacher for Teach for America. Good news: he was admitted! Admitted in...in Miami-Dade County. Katie encouraged him every step of the process, and when she found out he was placed in Miami… Immediately two thoughts. 1) AMAZING!!! She couldn’t wait to go to Miami! 2) Fresh out of college and thrown in the waters of Miami?! F*@%! That summer he had extensive training in Oklahoma (random! I know!) Then he was off to Miami. Shit got real. Katie was entering her junior year of college, working as a stylist for BCBGMaxAzria and Michael Kors, living a college life in the city, enjoying her time out with friends, but always missed her lover boy so much.

There were so many unknowns, but they knew one thing was for certain… their love was one of a kind. A love distance couldn’t stand a chance to get in between. That fall, she made her first trip to visit Phellix in Miami and her stomach was swirling! Like… swirls. That following year, in 2014 they became boyfriend and girlfriend, and well… the rest is history.