In 2008, the world experienced the Global Financial Crisis, also known as the Great Recession, triggered by a housing market bubble and the failure of financial institutions. The US presidential election saw Barack Obama become the first African-American president. Twilight premiered in theaters.
And in an IB Chemistry class at Sunset High School in Portland Oregon, Kj and Bri met for the first time. Somewhere between thermodynamics and RedOx, they fell in love.
Left to right: Kj in 2008, Bri in 2008
In 2009, the H1N1 influenza outbreak was declared a global pandemic. Michael Jackson Died. Twilight: New Moon premiered.
And much like Bella Swan on the cusp of her 18th birthday, blissfully happy with her undead beau Edward Cullen, Kj was turning 18 and his Senior-Sophomore Facebook Official Relationship faced a new challenge. College.
Punchbowl Falls 2009
PC Aislynn Neish
The leaves turned their fall colors. MGMT played loudly from a car speaker, a track on one of the many mixed CDs Kj burned that Summer. Bri pulled up “to Ana’s house” (KJ’s dorm, Sorry Rhona and Jay) for the first time.
With the consent of Kjs roommate, Cole, a dorm for 2 became a dorm for 3. Just like it would for many weekends to follow.
Twilight: New Moon, showed the world that distance can’t break the bond of a teen and a 100 year old vampire – and Bri and Kj believed it couldn’t break them either.
The thing about Portland and Eugene, is that Bri can drive the 100 miles “to Ana’s house” any weekend. But the tragic thing about teenagers is that they’re rarely in the driver's seat of their own destiny.
Sick digital camera
New Years Eve 2011 in Austin
In 2010, the iPad was released, its profoundly negative impact on future generations only to be realized much later. The Arab Spring uprisings began. Twilight: Eclipse premiered in theaters.
Bri and her family moved to Texas.
Kj moved from the dorms to a house filled with friends, absent of bed frames and central heating. Bri returned for a visit. They were determined. Party rock anthem played as the young couple shuffled in the dim light of the basement tiki bar.
But the reality began to set in: They were kids. Bri would go to college somewhere else. And They weren't Bella and Edward.
2011 was a year marked by significant global events, including the death of Osama bin Laden, a devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the rise of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Twilight: Breaking Dawn premiered to largely negative reviews from critics.
And as time passed, distance took it's toll.
Kj was a Junior year of college at The University of Oregon. A chemistry turned accounting major, he was preparing for his corporate debut and settling in as the Grand Treasurer of his newly chartered Fraternity, Kappa Sig.
Pictured: Kj filling the Bri sized hole with his friend Colin
you could not pay me to remember whatever this is
Bri was now a Freshman at The University of Texas at Austin. Bathing in the light of the computer science lab, she immersed herself in her new culture — Starcraft commentating and spending $100 on something called bitcoin for a fake ID from The Silk Road and a Papa Johns pizza.
And over the years, they grew farther apart.
And over the years, they grew farther apart.
2012
The London Olympics. Barack Obama won a second term. Despite the widespread belief that the world would end on December 21st, it did not. Twilight Breaking Dawn – Pt 2.
2013
The Boston Marathon bombing. The death of Nelson Mandela. Edward Snowden revelations.
Kj graduated college and became an accountant.
2014
West African Ebola virus epidemic. The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
No more Twilight movies.
Kj moved to South Korea to teach English.
2015
Hotline Bling. The attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo. Caitlyn Jenner appears on the cover of Vogue.
Bri graduated and started working at Google in San Francisco.
2016
Donald Trump became the 45th President of The United States. The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. Bri was still in San Francisco, Kj still in Portland.
2017
Nintendo released the Switch.North Korea tested a series of nuclear missiles in the face of international condemnation
After an easy labor, Bri gave birth to a healthy baby Rory on September 30.
……until fate said, hold my beer.
2018 Kj was on a business trip to San Francisco.
Bri was recently out of a relationship which took place somewhere in the above carousel of content, and she downloaded Bumble.
That same weekend, they matched. They spent the day at the park. They made out.
Then Kj went back to Portland.
A few months later Bri once again came to visit.
But unlike Twilights 1-5, the couple had grown older and wiser. Distance wasn’t a physical measurement; it was jobs and friends and dogs, compounded by the uncertainty of leaving them for someone who has likely changed with a now fully developed frontal lobe.
Later that Summer, Bri once again came to visit. But unlike Twilights 1-5, the couple had grown older and wiser. Distance wasn’t a physical measurement; it was jobs and friends and dogs, compounded by the uncertainty of leaving them for someone who has likely changed with a now fully developed frontal lobe.
Pictured, Bri masking a crash out after realizing it wasn't going to work
So fate said "psych" and everyone moved on.
…Fate said, "psych" and everyone moved on.
So fate said "psych" and everyone moved on.
2019
Hong Kong protests turned to widespread riots and civil disobedience; the U.S. House of Representatives impeached Donald Trump.
Bri ran away to sailing school in South Africa in hopes of finding herself. She did. And moved to New York City with her best friend Lola.
Kj started his boxing career.
2020
2020. The COVID-19 pandemic began. Joe Biden won the presidential election. George Floyd’s murder sparked widespread protests against police brutality and systemic racism.
Bri went viral on Tiktok.
Kj paused his boxing career and his mom got married.
2021
A mob of Insurrectionists stormed the US capitol building. The COVID-19 vaccine was rolled out and the world began to open up.
Kj indefinitely paused his boxing career. Bri was vaxxed and living it up in New York. And Miami. And Aruba.
2019
Hong Kong protests turned to widespread riots and civil disobedience; the U.S. House of Representatives impeached Donald Trump.
Bri ran away to sailing school in South Africa in hopes of finding herself. She did. And moved to New York City with her best friend Lola.
Kj started his boxing career.
2020
2020. The COVID-19 pandemic began. Joe Biden won the presidential election. George Floyd’s murder sparked widespread protests against police brutality and systemic racism.
Bri went viral on Tiktok.
Kj paused his boxing career and his mom got married.
2021
A mob of Insurrectionists stormed the US capitol building. The COVID-19 vaccine was rolled out and the world began to open up.
Kj indefinitely paused his boxing career. Bri was vaxxed and living it up in New York. And Miami. And Aruba.
Then Kj took fate in his own hands.
Then Kj took fate in his own hands.
The text Bri left on unseen
In December 2021, After years apart, for reasons not quite understood by this author (who did you think wrote this?), the ever optimist Kj, decided to move to New York. He went to scope it out.
And he sent Bri a text
Unfortunately, Bri had deleted his number in 2018, mid crash out. And as a lover of discounts, she missed his message in her sea of text message promos for 15% off.
But Kj didn't take "no response" for an answer.
But Kj didn't take "no response" for an answer.
In early 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine. And Kj invaded Bri's instagram algorithm in hopes of annexing Bri's heart.
Story after story, he posted shots of New York skylines and landmarks in hopes of catching her eye.
One of Kj's Instagram Stories
……Until
one day
it worked ❤️
……Until
one day
it worked ❤️
And it turns out, they still like liked each other. Fully developed frontal lobes and all.
And it turns out, they still like liked each other. Fully developed frontal lobes and all.
