Our story began in the most Oakland way possible—at a bar. It was September 2019, and I walked into Make Westing in downtown Oakland just looking for a drink. Instead, I found Kesomi, the security guard posted at the door. He was supposed to be checking IDs, but somehow he ended up checking me out instead. We started chatting—just casual at first—but there was something there. By the end of the night, we exchanged numbers. After that, we talked every day like teenagers, hours on end. Turns out, Kesomi lived in Fresno, but distance didn’t scare him. This man took a four-hour train ride (yes, one way!) just to see me. If that’s not commitment—or maybe just the early stages of love—I don’t know what is. Before we knew it, the world flipped upside down. Covid hit, everything shut down, and somehow we ended up quarantining together. It was supposed to be two weeks. Fast forward and we’re still stuck with each other… but in the best way possible. If you can survive lockdown with someone and still want to share snacks with them, you’re probably onto something good. Eventually, we moved in together and life just kept on life-ing. One day, we found out we were expecting our first baby—surprise! In January 2021, our beautiful daughter Fa’e was born. She came into the world with lungs like a singer and cheeks that made it all worth it. A few years later, just when we thought we had this parenting thing semi-figured out (we didn’t), we found out baby number two was on the way. Our son, Tevita, was born in June 2024, just in time to make sure we never sleep again. Through late-night bottle runs, train rides, pandemics, and everything in between, we’ve built something real—equal parts love, laughter, and chaos. And somehow, it all started at a bar.