Lena's brother-in-law (and Alex's soon-to-be "co-brother"), Fabi, has been living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) for the last 15 years (and bedridden with severe symptoms for the past three years). He is unfortunately not able to join us in Mallorca due to this debilitating diagnosis, yet he remains present in the lives of his growing extended family. Soon after Lena and Alex met, this came in the form of listening to Lena's (mostly positive) dating stories and offering encouragement: "I think you found a good one." As the husband to Anne and the longest tenured in-law of the Müller family, his opinion matters. For this same reason, Alex is quick to listen to Fabi's advice; he knows what it takes to court a "Müller girl." Not to mention, Fabi is a great resource for all things Fußball, and a welcome outlet for Alex (and arguably more so Lena!) when Alex wants to talk Premier League or Bundesliga.

Despite his circumstances, Fabi always finds ways to be there for his loved ones - so this is a small way we can show up for Fabi. Please consider making a donation to startaMEvolution, a German organization working to make ME/CFS more visible through awareness and advocacy campaigns. Its goal is to achieve recognition, better care, and dignity for those affected, ultimately pushing for greater political engagement, research funding, and government support.

ME/CFS is a heavily under-researched and frustratingly misunderstood medical condition that deserves more attention. StartaMEvolution is working to change this outlook with the same type of resolve that ME/CFS patients like Fabi exhibit on a daily basis.

Über den Tellerrand is a charitable non-profit organization focused on promoting cultural exchange between people with and without refugee backgrounds. Literally translating to "Beyond the Plate," UdT has a dual meaning in German to also denote "thinking outside the box." What connects everyone on "equal terms"? Über den Tellerrand's answer is "food," so the organization creates opportunities and provides spaces for people with different backgrounds to cook together and learn from one another over a shared meal. UdT started in Berlin in 2013 as a solidarity movement with refugees, and has since expanded to multiple sites across Germany and beyond that opens its doors to everyone - even if you do not cook. ;)

*Switching now to the first person....*

I (Alex) discovered UdT soon after moving to Frankfurt in summer 2023. I initially reached out to the organization as part of my dissertation fieldwork because I wanted to better understand how social service providers facilitate the local integration of newly-arrived refugees. While UdT was an invaluable anchor at this stage of my PhD, I soon realized that the benefits of attending UdT events went well beyond any potential "research findings." In UdT, I also found a much-needed community. After meeting Lena (unequivocally my best research finding!), I introduced her to the diverse Frankfurters who make up UdT and are always willing to welcome new members in the name of creating an "open and tolerant society." This mission is especially important today as refugees crossing international borders - whether it be en route to Germany, Spain, or the U.S. - still struggle to find true safety in these places of asylum.

If you are inclined to make a donation to Über den Tellerrand, please navigate here. You are free to give to any UdT "satellite," or location, you would like. We appreciate your support.

In many ways, the honeymoon was planned before our wedding - or even the engagement! Let us explain:

This screenshot from July 31, 2023 captures the first messages we exchanged with each other on the dating app Hinge. Fortunately, Alex looked past the fact that Lena was likely pining for a European man with her choice British English spelling of "travelled," and made the first move. He opened the conversation with what many consider one of the best pickup lines ever uttered (though Lena's "two truths and a lie" prompt certainly helped). What began as a series of one-liners about skiing turned into text blocks and plans to meet in-person. Naturally skiing in Japan (or shredding "Japow") quickly came up as a shared bucket list activity and travel destination. We just needed an excuse to take the trip together, so getting married seemed to be our best option.

We are hoping to travel to Japan in February-March 2027 for a few weeks of touring and skiing. The trip will likely start and end in Tokyo, with plenty of blue-squares and black-diamonds (or whatever Japan's ski slope classifications are) in between. We renewed our Indy Passes (support independent ski resorts!), which includes nearly 30 mountains from Kyoto in the south to Sapporo in the north - so we have options on where to go!

Skiing - and everything that goes into a ski day - is our favorite activity to do together. Morning coffee en route to the mountain; chatting on the chair lift; synchronized turns or excitedly saying, "hey follow me into the trees!" without any unsettling connotations; lunchtime ramen at the lodge; charging towards the ski lift for "one last run"; warming up in an onsen; toasting a Sake nightcap. It all seems perfect, and we can't think of a better way to usher in married life.

For your convenience, we will have a designated guest book table at the wedding for cards and well-wishes. Japan travel recommendations are also appreciated!