These Kids Are Getting Married

If you ask Sean how our story began, he’ll tell you, “You lucked out.” If you ask me, I’ll tell you I found him on Facebook Marketplace… which honestly feels just as accurate. Somewhere between his version and mine is the truth, but what we both agree on is that from the very start, there was a chemistry between us that was undeniable. As we started messaging, it didn’t take long for Sean to lock down a date, which he would probably call patience, and I would call persistence. Our first date was at Culinary Dropout, very on brand for this Arizona-bred boy. He came in confident, immediately ordering pretzel bites with cheese dip… for the gluten- and dairy-intolerant girl. Bold strategy. My non-veggie, fish-loving man, I matched his energy and ordered a kale and salmon salad. While our palates, and honestly our stomachs, were not aligned, everything else was. Conversation came easily, and that first date lasted for hours. Somewhere between stories, Sean casually dropped that he had ridden bulls professionally, played semi-pro football, worked as a bouncer, helped build the Orion space vehicle, and “doesn’t kiss on the first date.” I’m not proud to admit this, but I was absolutely convinced he was full of it. Dating (and even marrying) a bullshitter was not my first rodeo, so I kept my guard up… but I was intrigued. At the end of the night, he walked me to my car like a complete gentleman. My plan was simple: hug, sweet cheek kiss, go home. What actually happened… was not that. He says he was going in for a hug, I thought there was a kiss happening, and in my enthusiasm, I somehow kissed his teeth. Yes. His teeth. I was instantly mortified. It was awkward, unforgettable, and somehow… not a dealbreaker. As we kept seeing each other, even my daughter Lilianna had questions. After hearing he worked in aerospace, she wanted to make sure I fully understood what that meant, and asked if I really wanted to date someone “working in a stockroom restocking supplies,” because she was just trying to make sure I was keeping my standards high. In her defense, she didn’t quite understand the title, or the complexity, of supply chain management… but she’s definitely been educated since then. What’s even crazier is how many similarities we discovered along the way. We had the same interests, spent time in the same places, and somehow never crossed paths. We like to think that part was timing, that we found each other exactly when we were supposed to. Like any real relationship, our story hasn’t always been easy. We’ve had challenges, moments that tested us, and even took a little blip detour along the way. But somehow, we kept finding our way back to each other. Sean has a way of calming me down when I need to settle myself, and I like to think I give him plenty of opportunities to work on his “amazing” patience. Through it all, we come back to what matters most: each other, our family, and our kids. We remind ourselves often how blessed we are, especially in the little and big moments that make up our life—dance parties with glow sticks, quiet nights on the couch, hiking mountains in South Africa, raising giant steins and laughing our way through Oktoberfest in Munich, camping under the stars, and jumping waves at the beach. Blending our families has been one of the most meaningful parts of this journey. We each came into this with children and full lives, and together we’ve built something new, strong, and full of love. Life with Sean is anything but boring. Whether we’re traveling, wrangling kids, spending time with friends and family, taking care of our animals, or tackling projects out at the Furlong Ranch, we’re always learning, laughing, and growing together. At the end of the day, whether you believe Sean’s version that I “lucked out,” or mine that I found him on Facebook Marketplace, the truth is somewhere in between… we found each other exactly when we were meant to, and we’d choose this life together again and again.