Tabitha and Konstantin matched on Hinge in January 2020 with Konstantin shortly reaching out to Tabitha's initiation saying, "I'm pretty sure I liked your profile first...", even though that's not how Hinge works. After some brief back and forth they planned to meet at a local Asian eatery near their offices on February 7, 2020. Their last ever Hinge exchange was Tabitha stating it was very windy out on her way there and Konstantin encouragingly suggesting her to "use the force", knowing full well he has absolutely no knowledge of the Star Wars franchise.

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Their first date lasted over four hours, to the surprise of both, filled with seemingly endless conversation, earnestness, and laughter with Tabitha, having been on a dry run for the past three years, secretly judging Konstantin for drinking multiple beers when, during their Hinge interactions, Konstantin noted he's "not much of a drinker". By the end of their third date the couple hadn't kissed yet and Tabitha, unsure of where they had stood blurted out, "What are we doing here? Are we just friends?", which Konstantin answered by lunging toward her to seal the deal with their first kiss. They went on a few more dates until March 2020 came and everything had shut down.

Having only known each other a short while, the couple decided to take some time apart while they each figured out the new normal. But even a global pandemic couldn't keep them away from each other for long! They reconnected slowly at first with walks in Prospect Park that were six feet apart, sitting on opposite ends of the couch watching movies and, later, dabbled in co-working in each other's apartments. For Easter that year Tabitha wasn't able to go home to celebrate with her family, so Konstantin came over and the pair dyed Easter eggs, with Konstantin politely eating Tabitha's over-vinegared deviled eggs.

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By the fall, new waves of COVID were coming and Tabitha decided to move back to Connecticut. She would regularly come back to New York to hang out with Konstantin and, as he likes to mention, live rent free in his apartment for one-two weeks at a time.

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In the Spring of 2021, the couple decided to take advantage of their work from home situation, hop into Konstantin's then Volkswagen GTI Mk6 Driver's Edition, of course, and go on an epic road trip up and down the East Coast! Their plan was to meet and stay with each other's family and friends along the way, many of whom they were meeting for the first time. They spent three months exploring the East Coast's National Parks, beaches and oceans, caverns, forests, and mountains while getting to know the people that have touched both of their lives in one way or another, building a stronger connection with each other as a result.

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In 2022, Tabitha moved in with Konstantin and his adorable female cat, Mourlyaka (can you pronounce that?) in Brooklyn, New York. Being exclusively a "dog person", she expressed some concern in compatibility. Over the course of time, Tabitha and Konstantin continued to build their lives together and started to make traditions of their own that include surprising each other with a day-full of planned activities for their Birthdays, having "Latte and Laundry Saturdays" (LLS), "CVS Coupon Runs", and "Sunset Walks" together, as well as ordering of customized yearly Xmas ornaments and calendars in which Tabitha can be seen proudly wearing her "Cat Mom" hat.

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On Friday, October 17, 2025, Tabitha thought she was waking up for a normal day of work, but Konstantin had other plans! With the ruse of needing to repark their car, Konstantin got Tabitha on the road. It wasn't until they were approaching the George Washington Bridge that the Passenger Princess realized something had gone awry to which, without much fuss, Konstantin stated simply that work had been cancelled and the two were going to spend a nice and relaxing fall day together. With Tabitha now fully realizing what was inevitably to happen that day, the couple arrived at the farm they had never been to before. Fragrant apple orchards, pumpkin patches, a small zoo, a bridge that framed the whole farm, and even a corn maze suddenly were places where Tabitha looked for photographers and posed rather than relaxing and enjoying the beautiful and sunny day, as Konstantin's statement had suggested, perplexing even him. As the last resort for potentially giving Konstantin the confidence he didn't know he needed and for getting what she herself desired, Tabitha hinted that splitting up in the corn maze may be fun (in order to find him on one knee). Unfortunately, “No way—I don’t want to get lost.” from Konstantin was the end of that. With a lovely time had at the farm but no proposal in sight, Tabitha dubiously got into the car again.

The unfolding of events at the next leg of the journey was not predicted even by Konstantin. Parked in the back of an ordinary house, off a regular road, the couple could see a small chicken coop and a big red barn. Dialing the gentleman with whom he was in touch about this shindig, Konstantin confirmed they should walk on over to the barn and, as they have, a few horses appeared in their field of view. They were going horseback riding! Inside the barn they met Cowboy Bob—an amiable gentleman with many decades behind him and a twinkle of mischief in his eye—who declared Tabitha an experienced rider after learning about the one and only horseback ride she went on at the ripened age of 10 and sent everyone off down a wooded trail, Tabitha leading the way. Just shortly after, Maria - the youngest horse in the stable on top of which the newly established leader was now sitting, felt a "soft hand" and decided quenching her thirst a matter more pressing than just a walk in the woods, which the couple was promised. Galloping down the hill to the nearby stream without control, Tabitha casually wondered if October 17 will be her last day on Earth. Konstantin and Chocolate, the horse he was riding, casually wondered the same, albeit from the top of the hill. Having finally realized simply telling Tabitha to tell Maria to come back wasn't working, Cowboy Bob took matters into his hands, got both back to the trail and led the way from then on, noting in amazement that Maria had discovered a section of the woods he had not been to yet! They trotted a while longer, listening to Bob's stories, looking at notable points along the trail, and having their pictures taken. At one of the stops, Cowboy Bob randomly pointed toward a sunlit hollow and teased of a “big, beautiful goldfish” that lives in the creek, suggesting the two check it out. With a bit of reluctance and surprise, Konstantin and Tabitha made their way down to the little creek. As Tabitha earnestly looked around for a fish, inquired about whether the fish is real, if it's a painting of a fish, or even the knowledge of the fish's existence is trustworthy, Konstantin glanced back up at Cowboy Bob who was smiling back and giving him a big thumbs up. Turning back to Tabitha, Konstantin finally interrupted her search mission with an exclamation of "Well, I guess this is our spot!", got down on one knee and proposed to Tabitha to her now genuine surprise. She said Yes!