The first time I saw Sofia was at 1:30 p.m. on October 13, 2019. I was sitting in a booth at the Broadway Diner—an innocent choice that I would later learn she considered a mildly suspicious venue for a first date. In my defense, I really do love their Jerry salad. I stood up as soon as she walked in. I was nervous in the very specific way you get when you suddenly care a lot; she was composed, confident, and completely at ease. When she sat down across from me and gave me that smile—her smile, the same one that still gets me every single day—it felt like the room shifted just a little. She has that effect. She doesn’t just enter a space; she quietly makes it better. To this day, I’m not entirely sure how I convinced her to keep the date going after lunch. I would later learn that Sofia almost never committed to more than coffee on a first meeting. But somehow, she agreed to come with me to the Raptor Trust in Millington. I can’t tell you a single bird we saw, but I remember standing next to her, pointing things out, and feeling an ease I wasn’t expecting—like I’d known her longer than an afternoon. From there, we wandered the boardwalks of the Great Swamp. It wasn’t quite a hike—our first real hike would come later, when we accidentally climbed from Buttermilk Falls all the way up to the Appalachian Trail— but it was the beginning of many walks, adventures, and happy detours we’d take together. As the evening wore on, neither of us wanted the date to be over, so we found ourselves at the Hat Tavern, sharing drinks and stories. I would later learn that this officially became the longest first date Sofia had ever been on. I took that as a very good sign. Looking back, I realize that first date was the moment I knew we’d both found something special. I don’t remember if we scheduled our second date for that coming weekend before we said goodbye that night, later that evening, or even the next day. What I do remember is meeting her again just three days later, on a rainy Wednesday, back at the Hat Tavern—because waiting for the weekend felt impossible. And that’s how it started. One unexpectedly long first date, and a feeling that we were already home.

We met online shortly after Sean’s birthday and just before mine. Before we had even met in person, Sean called me early on my birthday and left me a voicemail singing “Happy Birthday.” Yes—singing. It was bold, unexpected, and completely charming, and it left quite an impression (his great singing voice didn’t hurt either). When we finally met, we hit it off instantly and went on the longest first date I had ever had. Hours flew by, conversation never slowed, and neither of us wanted the date to end. It didn’t take long to realize this was something special. Riding that early excitement, just two months into dating, Sean was ready to meet my family. I, on the other hand, was… less enthusiastic. It felt a little soon to bring him fully into the fold. With Thanksgiving around the corner, Sean suggested stopping by for dessert. Was I ready for all the questions that would come? Was Sean ready to meet a house full of loud, loving Portuguese relatives who believe food is affection and questions are a form of bonding? (You know who you are!) That Thanksgiving turned out to be the biggest I’d ever hosted, with about 25 family members filling the house. Sean walked in and was immediately welcomed by my overly eager family. Sean held his own and surprisingly looked quite comfortable in the mix! As he made his way into the kitchen, I overheard him chatting with my cousin Tony. Suddenly, Tony stopped, stared at him, and said, “Wait… I think you’re my attorney!” (What?!). I was shocked! What were the chances? And more importantly - why had Tony never mentioned his incredibly handsome, intelligent and single attorney? From that moment on, Sean fit right in. Lucky for us, he met my entire family just before the world shut down due to COVID – and even luckier, we walked away with a great story. Ever since, when people ask how we first met, we love to joke that my cousin introduced me to his incredibly handsome attorney!

We met just before the world shut down due to COVID. And when everything else paused, we somehow found each other. In the months that followed, we were incredibly lucky to hunker down together—hiking local trails, baking far too much bread, and sharing a lifetime’s worth of stories. It was soon clear that we had met our person sooner than we ever expected. That summer, we decided to buy a house together and, along with Donovan, couldn’t wait to make it our home. What we didn’t realize was the universe had already planned a very memorable housewarming gift; Sofie was pregnant! And because three is the new two, we figured Donovan and Ella needed one more sibling to complete the crew. We soon welcomed Ethan who made our family feel perfectly full and complete. Somewhere along the way, we realized we had built a beautiful life together that we love —but we had forgotten one important thing. We forgot to make it official! So here we are, beyond excited to celebrate our love, our commitment and the beautiful family we’ve built with all of you.