Doug and Peter met through their mutual friend Paul in the spring of 2016. Doug was living in Chicago working for United Airlines and Peter was in Detroit working for General Motors. 

After talking for a few months, they started seeing each other more and more. Soon they were flying to see each other for the weekend, and taking trips to Dallas, Pheonix, New Orleans, and other cities. On a few occasions, Doug took the last flight to Detroit to see Peter for the night, and flew back to Chicago at 6 AM to be back at work the next day. 

It was clear it was time for them to move closer together.

Both started looking for new jobs in other cities with no luck, when the opportunity of a life time presented itself. United Airlines was opening a new corporate office in Amsterdam. After discussing it at great length, Doug applied for the job at United and Peter began applying to as many jobs in the Netherlands as he could.

Finally, Peter found a position with EVBox, a small electric car charging startup.

While Peter was on his way to interview in Amsterdam, Doug got his job offer! Doug only had until the next week to decide. Doug caught the next flight to Amsterdam, snagging the very last seat in economy. They had an amazing time exploring the city and decided if Peter got the job, they'd move. Two days later, Peter interviewed and was offered a position. It was official, they were moving to Amsterdam!

Peter and Doug moved to Amsterdam late fall 2017 and started a new chapter in their life together. They began by moving into a studio hotel room for 6 weeks together. Luckily they both survived and it only made their relationship stronger! They eventually found a small one bedroom apartment in the historic Olympic neighborhood that became their new home.

A trip to Düsseldorf kicked off many travel adventures spanning the next 3 years. During their time time in Amsterdam, Peter and Doug visited over 24 countries; their all-time favorite trip from Amsterdam was a 10-day trip to Iceland, celebrating Peter's 30th birthday. 

Peter and Doug loved living in Amsterdam, and enjoyed many Dutch traditions. They did not have a car, but got bikes that they would ride everywhere, including to the ocean! Their weekends in Amsterdam consisted of activities like the young Herring Festival, the Tulip Festival, swimming in the canal, a bike riding fundraiser through the tulips, and weekend trips around the Netherlands.

Feeling very separated from family during the Covid-19 pandemic, Peter and Doug decided to move back to the US where they would start their next chapter.

Before relocating to Chicago, Peter and Doug decided to quarantine in the Virginia countryside living at Doug's parents' cabin. Massannutten, Virginia, a small resort town west of Washington DC, had plenty of fun outdoor activies like hiking and skiing.

Both enjoyed working from home and watching a variety of wildlife stroll by their windows. Their favorite animal was a groundhog (who surprisingly didn't get named by Peter) - he was a rare sighting that Peter would get especially excited for. Peter and Doug started traveling again after being vaccinated in the spring of 2021. Their first post-vaccine trip was to see Peter's sister in Mississippi.

With the world returning back to normal, they started looking for a house in Chicago.

June 2021, Peter met with a Real Estate Agent on a quick trip through Chicago. No intention of buying, but a first look at houses in the city. Peter liked the first house he saw, but thought it would be crazy to buy the first and only house he saw.  Later that night, Peter discussed the house with Doug who said "Let's buy it!". The next day Peter went back, and gave Doug a video tour. They put in an offer and it was accepted!

A few months later, they got the keys and started moving in. The new house was perfect! Close to the subway, a running trail, and lots of good restaurants; but came with a special surprise. The previous owners left a 3,000lb ceramic kiln in the garage (which they still have - if anyone is interested, let us know!)

The house has 2 units. A few months after they moved in, they turned the first floor unit into a vacation rental. If you are planning to visit Chicago, please come stay!

For Peter's 32nd birthday, Doug made dinner reservations at Tango Sur, an Argentinian steak house they first went to when celebrating their move to Amsterdam. Peter was excited to celebrate, but started to get suspicious when Doug insisted they dress up for dinner.

It was the perfect night, warm with clear skies. They sat on the patio, reminiscing about their time in Amsterdam. After dinner, they went for a walk. Doug stopped and asked Peter to tie his shoe. Peter went along with it and knelt down on one knee. When he looked up, Doug had a ring box open. Peter said "Yes!".