In the 3 1/4 years we’ve been together, Rachelle and I have both been through a lot of changes. Some good, some bad, some just different.

But through it all, she’s been one of the most important people in my life. A constant source of strength and inspiration and joy and all sorts of good. I can’t thank her enough for everything she’s done for me, but I can make an insufferably cute tumblr post that showcases what we’ve looked like every year since we started dating. So here you go.

For those of you who weren’t aware (and really, why would you be?), Rachelle came to surprise me last weekend for my birthday (which was the day after she left but whatever).

It was, in all honesty, likely the nicest thing anyone’s done for me. In fact, it was probably the nicest thing anyone’s done since the Underground Railroad.

Here are some photos of us completely unrelated to anything else we did that weekend.

Proof that Rachelle has looked attractive in pictures within the past year.