in high seas or low seas…

I stopped by a terrible frat party one evening in a white tee and basketball shorts. Liv, apparently into my Israeli Adam Sandler vibes, tapped me on the shoulder. We danced. I held her hand (weird move but she enjoyed it). And voilà: ten years later we’re still dancing, still holding hands. (R)

Riv turned 21 and we all celebrated, heavily. He puked eight times (the next morning, he’d like to clarify), and still shudders at the mere thought of blackberry Burnett’s vodka. (L)

One of our many trips to Red Rocks… We probably saw Portugal the Man. I’m also pretty sure Liv traumatizingly stuck a glow stick in my ear at this show. I love her, but she is no longer allowed near my ears. (R) 

Riv was moving San Francisco to start his career. Naturally, a rafting trip was planned to send him off in Colorado fashion. And naturally, our raft flipped. What better way to bond with your boyfriend than to get desperately trapped underneath a raft with him? Ask Harry for details. (L)

Liv followed me to San Francisco! And thank god she did, because we could now afford to move out of the Tenderloin. This year was characterized by new friends, Chinatown karaoke, evenings at Tupelo, and enormous burritos. (R)

Our final camping trip before I said goodbye to the mountain west (and Riv) to start medical school back in Chicago. Pandemic aside, this year was rife with change, uncertainty, and sadness. I cried in the woods that night, but also saw a moose the next day! (L)

Misery loves company, and we suffer poetically well together. So, I chased Liv down to start law school while she was grinding out her second year of med school. Between study sessions, we spent the year rediscovering our Chicagoland roots, e.g., snagging cheap tickets to pitiful White Sox games. (R)

Riv didn’t know this at the time, but achieving Family-Photo status among the Blumensteins is no small feat. He also didn’t know how long it would take to get a photo with all the animals looking at the camera… (L)

In the thick of our studies, we still made time to explore the city. The Blumensteins treat me like a son on my birthday, because I share the date with Nicole. Shoutout libras. You can hardly see the deep, textured stress behind our eyes as we close out our schooling! (R)

At last. You know the story from here. Jericho also graduated.

P.S. Riv is wearing fake cords. Stolen valor! (R&L)