It was summertime and I was working for the "summer work crew" at the high school we both taught at in the afternoons. Scott volunteered to fill in for one of the other teachers one day. I knew after spending just 45 minutes with him that he was the man I was going to marry. When I got home that afternoon I texted my mom and told her that I had met my husband. I spent the next 6 months convincing him to take me on a date and on December 29th, 2018 he finally caved. The rest is history.

T'was a blustery morning during spirit week at Durfee High School and I wore my annual princess dress during Disney Day. I strode down the hall before that first bell to see what my colleagues were wearing and to take pictures. I turned the corner and saw Renata dressed as an original mousekateer, looking beautiful. We took a picture and talked in the hallway but from that moment on we talked almost every day. We talked about anything and everything, whatever would keep the other person on the phone. Fast forward to our first date in December, going to an arcade/bowling alley. I thought it would be fun to play pool but instead I just felt guilty after beating her three times in a row. I decided we should get a bite to eat and, naturally, took her to a Mexican restaurant. When the waiter came to take our order I said, "Whatever my parole officer will have." She laughed, buried her head in her arms, and came up laughing again. Since that moment there hasn't been a day when I haven't tried to make Renata laugh, anything to see that animated and uncontrollable laughter that both Sophia and I find contagious.