He drove a hour, our first date at The Shrunken Head. I naturally felt comfortable next to him, I grabbed his arm while we walked and didn’t let go. We found a quiet corner and just talked about life — and somehow, about everything else too. It was so easy. We barely broke eye contact because neither of us wanted to miss a single thing about the other. That night, it already felt like something rare.

Before we lived together, we visited an oddity shop and I fell in love with a piece that had a crystal and butterflies. I didn’t have my wallet and mentioned grabbing it for my vanity. A few days later, Ryan called saying he left his wallet at the store and asked if I could grab it. When I got there, he had secretly bought the piece for me. That small, thoughtful gesture showed me how deeply we see and care for each other.

$20,000 would mean more than words. I was raised in a culturally rich family where I grew up learning indigenous medicine. My dream is to open an apothecary — a space filled with real, earth-grown, healing medicine for my community. I want to give people and pets care rooted in tradition and love, and leave behind something meaningful for those who’ve never felt truly seen, cared for, or believed in. I also wanted to give funds directly to a few families in Gaza as they need so much more now.