Sam and I haven’t been on a real trip, just the two of us, since before we had kids, so I’m often daydreaming about international adventures with her.
Tell us about yourselves and what you do for a living.
Laura: Sam and I have been a couple for the better part of two decades, and we’ve been in business together for five years. We own The Studio @ Beacon, a boutique fitness studio in Beacon, New York where I teach cycling and boxing classes. We take pride in the community we’ve created there, especially as a place where our LGBTQ+ neighbors feel welcome. I am also a writer. I’ve been featured in a variety of publications and last year I wrote and hosted my first podcast with Paradiso Media, Seventeen: Conversations With My Teenage Self.
Sam: After a decade working in media production I made a career switch and now I am an account director at a global market research company.
Independence Day Celebration (Photos courtesy of The Abby Family)
Where do you live, and why did you choose to make this your home?
Laura: We live in New York’s beautiful Hudson Valley. After nearly a decade living in New York City we decided to start a family, and we knew that our lovely little one-bedroom apartment wasn’t going to work. I am originally from Long Island, and Sam spent her childhood in New Jersey, so we wanted a place that wasn’t too far from our families. We always loved weekend getaways in the Hudson Valley, and when we discovered Beacon it felt like a perfect place to grow our family.
Where did you first meet?
Laura: I will never ever not feel embarrassed by this, even though we’ve heard from so many couples over the years who also met this way…
Sam: In fall of 2004 I transferred to Emerson College in Boston. Laura and I were both sophomores and I rushed her sorority. We became “sisters.”
Where did you go on your first holiday together and why?
Laura: We met when we were 19…I’m not even sure I know how to answer this question. During our spring semester in 2005 I was studying abroad in the Netherlands. Sam flew to Madrid to meet me for a few days. I don’t even know if that counts as our first holiday. Our relationship was really new and rocky, but sleeping in a hotel instead of a hostel was pretty luxurious.
Sam: We moved to LA together in 2007 and spent our first official anniversary in Santa Barbara. That was a pretty great weekend.
Laura: We’ve traveled the world together and she is my absolute favorite travel companion and adventure buddy.
