2026 Love List

Tsim Muaj & Cia Siab Rose Moua, Madison, 5.5 years
Rosha & Melissa Guadalupe, Milwaukee, 4 years
Jess & Skye Zitkus, Madison, 8 years
Stephanie & Cindy Jorenby, Belleville, 8 years
Scott & Micah Topel, Beaver Dam, 6.5 years
Alisha Hart & Junior Rittenhouse, Muskego, 2 years

Three things solidified my decision to start dating Skye: GI Joe, Star Wars (only the original versions), and anything Bruce Campbell related—we have a mutual affection for them all. We met at Lake Street Coffee on a September afternoon in 2017. Like any first date, it started off awkwardly until I ended a sentence with “and now you know,” and he responded “and knowing is half the battle.” If you were a child of the 80s you will recognize this as the catch phrase which summed up the end of every GI Joe cartoon’s “special message.” It has been burned into my brain since about 1984, and now it made its way into a conversation in 2017—reciprocated by the human across from me. The rest of the date was easy. Do you like Star Wars? Have you seen Evil Dead? Wait, you’re watching “Ash vs. Evil Dead?” So are my parents!! We talked so long, we were kicked out of the coffee house.

The following Sunday, we met at a dog park. I got to meet June and Dakota, Skye’s beloved dogs. At one point on our walk, Skye asked me: You know I’m trans, right? I said: Uh…yeah…so what? There was a pause and then a relieved “cool,” and we walked around the park again.

We were both divorced and “dating while older,” which seemed to have a weight to it. I read through a lengthy personality test Skye had taken for his job. We took quizzes, asked all the boring questions that end up being important in the long run, and eventually decided we felt safe with one another. From that moment, we were inseparable. We laughed, and still do, every day. We take care of each other, and life is easier than it has ever been. When my father met Skye, he opened up in a way I had never seen, telling stories I had never heard before. My mom was excited to show off her rock collection and ask a ton of questions, since Skye studied geology.

When we got married on May 4, 2018, my parents walked Skye down the aisle, (think Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, and Han Solo), and I did my best Princess Lea and put my half marathon medal around his neck. We had a beautiful ceremony officiated by a dear friend surrounded by people dressed in costumes and comfortable clothing.

It’s been eight years, and I still tear up when I think about how I might not have ever met him. He is an amazing human, and if you don’t know him, you probably should.