Nine.

 Yesterday was our eldest daughter's 8th birthday, which means we've been married 9 whole years now.

Halloween 2021

I ship us.

There are two kids who meet at summer camp for nerds.  They live in different states, he's about to head off to college, she's going into her senior year of high school.  They instantly fall for each other, their first kiss is incredibly awkward but incredibly adorable.  Their time together is brief and then they go their separate ways, make new friends, pair off with new romantic interests.  But they keep talking- he calls and talks to her for hours, something her actual boyfriend can't bring himself to do, a detail that savvier members of the audience surely pick up on as the writers' hint that these two are destined for each other.  They even start writing letters to each other, and maybe at that point some viewers turn it off, finding the whole concept ridiculous.  

Their plot lines don't really intertwine again for a couple of seasons, and then when it does, they're still in separate cities, and I'm sure there are viewers who wish this storyline would end already, but it doesn't.

In season 6, they finally live in the same city.  Then he proposes.  The big wedding comes in season 7.

They've got a spin-off show now about raising three kids in a house that's too small.  The storyline is sort of repetitive- the punchline of each episode involves the zany antics of the four-year-old son or the disastrous effects of sleep deprivation (the audience is really tired of hearing about how the new baby won't sleep).  The camera no longer lingers on their kisses, and the most romantic episodes revolve around him volunteering to cook supper.  The only source of suspense is wondering if they'll get the eldest daughter to ballet class on time and with both of her shoes.

But you know what?  I still ship them.  They're definitely my OTP.

Much love,

The Geeks