Good question. Brennen would say, “Go to dinner and get the full story.” However, we’ll save you the time and the money. So buckle up, grab a bottle of Cheerwine and Fanta, and prepare for the greatest love story of 2025.
It all started in the Northern European countries of Latvia and Lithuania. Serving as volunteers, Brennen and Mary spent most of their mission trips in different countries, speaking two different languages. An unexpected transfer sent Brennen up to Latvia, where he met Mary—but their hearts were locked, and their relationship remained strictly professional.
After finishing their missions, they both found themselves at the base of the Utah mountains in the same university classroom. Brennen, still as awkward as ever, invited Mary on a double date to the Natural History Museum (the Bean), where he had just started working. Spring term ended with a couple more dates, but no flourishing romance. Brennen moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for a summer job and invited Mary to visit him for a weekend. Of course, when a cute boy invites you to Jackson, you go. However, during the visit, Brennen kept his distance—50 feet in front of her on the hiking trail, to be exact. Instead of thinking he was just a speedy boy, Mary took the distance as disinterest and let him be.
A small indie band—the Jonas Brothers—arrived in Utah for the summer. Brennen had a spontaneous run-in with Mary on campus and asked her on a date to the concert. Mary was bit by the love bug and thought it was so cute that Brennen, well-trained by his sisters, knew the words to every song. She went home that night and hearted his favorite song on her Spotify, Rollercoaster... only to never hear from him again.
Redemption came on the 21st night of September, when Brennen and Mary happened to be in the same place at the same time: a gala at the National Portrait Gallery in D.C. Their wild and adventurous life paths converged, and Brennen was enchanted. He had grown up and opened his eyes to realize Mary is beautiful, amazing, so kind, and his perfect match. He wasn’t keeping his distance this time and invited her on a date to the beach and Busch Gardens. Could it be that, like puzzle pieces, despite their time apart, they were always meant to fit together?