Adventure is out there—and Yale students Spencer and Morgan* are determined to find it.
Since the start of their relationship about a year ago, the pair have taken every opportunity to explore, seek out novel experiences, and squeeze every ounce of excitement out of their time together. With a hunger for adventure and zest for life, the pair revel in the things that make life worth living.
After matching via the Marriage Pact around Valentine’s Day last year, the pair quickly connected despite Morgan’s imminent graduation.
Spencer:
I reached out first. But technically, a move was made on her end before that.
Morgan:
I followed him on Instagram. But he sent the email asking to get coffee.
Spencer:
We went to this coffee shop on campus. I remember that we talked a lot about travel and adventures. Our conversation was centered around, “What’s exciting about life? One of the first questions she asked was just, “What gets you up in the morning?"
She was a senior, so she didn’t have a lot of time left in school, so the first few times we were just getting a gauge for the other person. It’s weird to date when you only have a few months left.
Morgan:
We basically met up once a week or once every two weeks. I think we got lunch the second time, and then maybe dinner and a movie. I was doing gymnastics at Yale, so I was super busy at the time. So he actually came and watched a really important gymnastics meet. Which meant a lot, because it showed that he really cared.
Later on, I gave him COVID. But I think that actually kind of brought us closer. He had COVID at the start of spring break, so he ended up staying on campus the whole time. But I always have to stay for gymnastics, so that was a nice two week period where we saw each other a lot. We started dating around then.
Spencer:
We just thought, if we’re gonna start something, we might as well do it now. The fact that she was a senior kind of meant there was less pressure, like the stakes were lower. So I got to take the time to just really get to know her. And then I realized, “Okay, this is actually something pretty cool.”
Spencer and Morgan were essentially strangers before crossing paths for the first time last spring. Despite their surface-level differences, the pair quickly bonded over their values for adventure, excitement, and ambition.
Morgan:
We had no overlap before meeting. We’re in the same college, but that's it.
Spencer:
Not a single class, not a single friend, not a single contact. We’re different grades. I study electrical engineering, she studies econ. She’s got big athlete vibes, and I’d much rather be buried in my books.
But we can come together on things like, “Where would you wanna go in the world?” I think we have that same priority for fun and adventure.
Morgan:
I think the Marriage Pact did a good job of matching values. We're both driven, ambitious, have career goals. We both want to have a successful life, eventually care for a family. I think that adventure, excitement and travel are really important to us. I think both of us prioritize our friends over our family to an extent.
Spencer:
I think that mainly covers it. On the surface level we’re pretty different. But in terms of the things you’d look for in the long term, I think it was pretty spot on.
Since Morgan’s graduation and her move to New York, she and Spencer have had to endure mid-distance.
Spencer:
It’s a two hour train ride to New York. So every 2 weeks, one of us will go visit the other.
Morgan:
Every time he comes to New York, it’s always really fun because there’s so much to do. It’s a lot of exploring restaurants, going to museums, doing fun activities.
I really admire how caring he is. He really puts a lot of effort into the relationship. Especially since it’s been mid-distance. He always makes a point to call, he’s always willing to come up to New York even though he’s in the middle of finals.
I asked the pair about some of their favorite adventures they’ve shared together, and they had trouble narrowing down the list. From apple picking to spelunking, Morgan and Spencer have truly done it all. If you’ve been searching for exciting date ideas, look no further.
Morgan:
We’ve been ice skating, we went to a museum of ice cream, we’ve been apple picking together. We also went camping together. I had never been camping. And I was not an outdoorsy person. I’d say I’m a little bit more of one now. Living in New York has made me appreciate nature more.
Spencer:
After we started dating over spring break, we made cookies together. I had never baked anything in my life. I was like, “Wow, this is actually quite cool.” Since then, I’ve started cooking a bit more. Over the summer she came to visit me in LA, and we cooked together a lot.
Morgan:
We did go on a trip to Calgary, Alberta, since I have some family there. We went snowboarding together, which was really fun.
Spencer:
We’re planning a trip right now to go to Norway together. That’ll be a big one.
Morgan:
We’re planning to do a lot of hiking and snowshoeing. Maybe even explore some ice caves.
Spencer:
I love that Morgan just has a hunger for life. I think a lot of people are just content with what they have, but Morgan just wants to experience it all. She always reminds me that there’s more to be had here.
Spencer and Morgan look forward to another year of adventures, reminding us that life is simply too short to not make the most of it.
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*To preserve the anonymity of these participants, we’ve replaced their real names with pseudonyms.