Bethany and Amanda met at an event hosted by the Los Angeles County Fire Department called Womens Fire Prep Academy. Amanda is an alumni of the program and returned to be part of the training staff. Bethany was a first time candidate who along with Amanda was pursuing a career with the department. From Amanda’s side of the story, the second she saw Bethany there was an instant attraction. “The second I saw her, I thought she was absolutely beautiful…so I might have yelled at her and tried to turn a cheek…but I really couldn’t help but to look over from time to time and wonder what brought such a beautiful girl out here to want to fight fires.” From Bethany’s side of the story… “Although she was a hard ass, I knew somewhere inside was someone that I had to get to know. Instantly, she just felt like home.” Their first interaction wasn’t until day 2 of the academy where Amanda noticed Bethany’s hair tie had broken and she loaned her one of hers for the day. Bethany still has that hair tie. “ I was making my rounds to each of the training sections we had going and Bethany was over at with turn outs and breathing apparatus section. I had noticed she was falling behind as she was fidgeting around with something in her hand. I saw that she was trying to tie together her broken hair tie. I wanted so bad to just chew her out about not being prepared and make her an example so that other girls would make sure to bring extra hair ties but instead I pulled an extra one out of my hair and gave it to her.”-Amanda Bethany claims… “I thought she was gonna chew me out but when she handed me the hair tie I could tell she was nervous to talk to me, this tough ass not being so tough.” - Bethany 🙄-Amanda At the end of that day Bethany spoke to Amanda about not being able to attend the next academy day because of work(which was a lie). Amanda acknowledged that arrangement but asked Bethany to send her a reminder text about it so that she could relay the information to the training cadre. It took 5 days for me to text her!The week after the exchange the prep academy was cancelled on account of COVID.

A week had passed and they had been exchanging texts. Bantering each other back and forth, insulting each other’s intelligence, constantly competing against each other through workouts… they finally made plans to hang out. “The academy had been cancelled so I figure I probably wouldn’t see her again, but the following Saturday we planned to hang out and to be honest I thought she would cancel. I was surprised she didn’t and she came over, ON TIME…WITH BREAKFAST!”- Amanda This breakfast hang out impressed Amanda and so they began to hang out daily. They both agree that being in each other’s company was a breeze and it became hard to go a day without seeing each other.

As time went on, Amanda was hired onto the department and to prevent the spread of COVID was forced to quarantine throughout her time in the academy at a hotel. This was the first time since meeting they had been apart. Along with not being able to see each other they were also limited on how much they could speak because of their schedules. That didn’t stop them. They fell asleep on FaceTime every night. They wanted to feel as close as they could to each other! “Academy days were rough, all the candidates stayed in the same hotel and so the ice machines were always empty by the time I would get to the hotel. When I told Bethany about it she brought ice to the hotel lobby everyday so that I could ice myself. If we were lucky we would see each other in the lobby but couldn’t talk, or she would park outside my window so I could see her and Kenzleigh. She took care of our family day in and out and that alone made me fall in love with her even more. Technically, she was a single parent, working full time, taking care of our home and still found time in her day to bring me ice. She is everything I’ve ever wanted in a friend, a love and in life. She is someone I can depend on and trust with my life and a woman I would want our kids to emulate” -Amanda Amanda was unable to complete the academy due to a torn acl and returned home. “Failing the academy was a knife in the heart, I felt like a complete failure. Physically I couldn’t return to work. I could barely walk or open and close my hands. It was the worst I’ve ever felt about myself. Bethany would go to work and I would watch the baby trying to bring myself to be productive but I just couldn’t. I was depressed and angry. She saw me at my worst and still stuck around. She nursed my injuries, dealt with my grumpy ass and literally waited on my every need as I recovered. Eventually, I went back to working but it was less than part time. Meanwhile, I began to get my certifications lined up to begin traveling as a surgical assistant.”- Amanda

Once Amanda earned her certifications she received a job assignment in Santa Barbara. Two weeks prior to her start date her and Bethany purchased a travel trailer and a week before leaving their truck. They really worked as a team making decisions that take some months only days. They trusted each other and saw the end goal. The plan was for Bethany to leave work and they would travel together…but it didn’t start out like that right away…

“So here we are, we got over this hump of depression and now we’re planning on starting this new lifestyle and Bethany pumps the breaks…she didn’t leave work right away. The first month of my assignment her and Kenzleigh would take the train up to SB after work on Wednesday to see me and then I would drive them home Friday nights and we would spend weekends together. I would leave Sunday night for work and she would stay home for her work week. It was upsetting. Kenzleigh instantly loved trailer life and was thriving. Kenzleigh always wanted to go back to Santa Barbara with me. I hated being without them. I was in one of the most beautiful places in California and instead of enjoying it with the girls, I’d go back to the trailer and just lounge. It was lonely. So finally I told her I was tired of being without them, I needed them with me and the following week she FINALLY left work. -Amanda

After leaving SB they scored a position in Reno, NV! They were so excited! Neither of them had ever been there so they didn’t know what to expect. This would be their first out of state trip with the trailer on roads they had never traveled, so it was intimidating! “Honestly, Bethany’s persistent support has always been the push on my back to just do it. She inspires me more than she knows and takes credit for. This was a big move for us and although I have confidence in my abilities in most aspects Bethany’s confidence in me makes me that much more certain that I can do anything.” -Amanda Reno has been quite the eye opener for their relationship, on the very first night they arrived it snowed! Not too long after they realized they needed to upgrade the trailer and so they did just in time to endure the winter weather. BUT as their luck would have it they found a massive leak in the new trailer which forced them to return it and move all of their belongings out and into a tiny house. Christmas was just around the corner and with the extra costs they had incurred they weren’t sure that they would be able to return home. “I was so pissed that all this was happening and especially before the holidays. The salesman were being complete asshats and we weren’t sure if we were going to have a trailer to finish our assignment out. Going home crossed my mind a few times. Again, Bethany saved my sanity. While I was at work she had to move all of our belongings from our trailer spot into the tiny home we had to rent. All our things were out in the snow and she had the baby with her, it killed me I couldn’t help. She’s my Wonder Woman, she can handle anything with grace and a smile on her face. When I came home that first night after she had us all moved in she had decorated the place for Christmas!!! Tree and all! I couldn’t believe it!”-Amanda Once all of this was past them, things turned around and Reno became more enjoyable. Kenzleigh was thriving In her Pre-K class, gymnastics and even learned how to swim. Amanda was offered an extension not once but four times! All to which she has happily accepted. “Reno started out rocky, but overall we have come to love this place. All we’ve been through out here has really driven into me how much of a team we are and how much this opportunity has catapulted us into a life neither of us would’ve imagined we would experience in such a short time of being together. Being in Reno has enabled us to focus on ourselves and our little family and we have a bond unlike any other.”

Amanda and Bethany since meeting have become a family of adventure! They have set their sights on traveling the US with Kenzleigh. They’re goal is to raise and educate little Kenzleigh on everything there is to know about the shrimpin’ business. 😂 They love watching her experience so much at such a young age and hope that they can provide the type of childhood they wished for themselves through their adventures on the road. They’ve been everywhere together! Camping, fishing, boating, zoo exploring, aquarium hopping’, all you can eat sushi, water parks, cave exploring there isn’t anything they won’t do together. It’s only gonna get better and they can’t wait to continue their adventures together in marriage.

Amanda and Bethany have chosen the safari park as their venue because of their love for animals. Every new place they visit the go to the local zoo and aquariums. The San Diego Safari Park is a non-profit venue, so every cent paid for the wedding goes directly to the care, study and conservation of the animals you will see. They hope you and your families will take the time to enjoy the park and visit with the animals before joining them for the evening when they exchange their vows. See you all soon!!!