The story of Amanda and Zeke is rooted in travel. Zeke took to globetrotting early; Amanda was inexperienced in exploring the world.  The relationship itself was borne out of travel.  Back in the days before they were married, Amanda and Zeke were just friends at work with no romantic interest in each other.

After a particularly long, frustrating day Amanda asked Zeke if he would go to Italy with her. She had always wanted to see the world, but her boyfriend at the time adamantly refused to get on an airplane. Zeke took all but ten seconds and said “sure”.  The “Just Friends” were booked on the cheapest flight they could find and in the air in four weeks.  The tickets cost $420 round trip, Washington, DC to Venice, Italy.  It is important to note that when you get cheap tickets you have to put up with a lot of inconveniences, like a 12-hour layover in the middle of the night in London where you have to change airports.  The friends landed in their hotel room after 30 hours of travel and were delighted to find they didn’t want to kill each other.

The two spent time in Venice and Rome, then continued on to Florence. Florence, my friends, is where it all happened.  The two friends fell in love, with a city and each other. The impact of the city was so great they returned for their honeymoon and spent their five-year anniversary there.

The young couple also discovered that the only thing they loved more than each other was exploring the world together. It’s a fact that leaves their friends and family to wonder when they plan to settle down and start a family (you know, the kind of family that doesn’t use a litter box). But the two are hooked on the world and love the freedom of running away together with the simple words “can you feed the cat?”