Our first apartment was at Fairfield, in Coram. It wasn’t in the best area, and it definitely wasn’t glamorous, but it was ours. We had just moved in together with Azalea and Callie, stepping into a brand new chapter with nothing but a dream and a whole lot of determination.

We worked our tails off to make it work. We pinched pennies, barely scraped by, and somehow managed to pay the bills month after month. It wasn’t easy, but we showed up for each other, and we learned what it really means to build a life together.

This centerpiece captures that moment with a model of the apartment building and a moving truck, simple symbols of a huge step forward. It marks the beginning of making a home out of what we had, and proving to ourselves that we could take on whatever life threw our way.

That little apartment in Coram might not have looked like much from the outside, but it’s where we laid the first bricks of the life we’re still building today.