It was a fateful evening at a County Board meeting - Katie, a brand new board member of the Prince William County Police Association, and Joe, a salty Secretary/Treasurer from the Prince William County Professional Firefighters. "Look at this text" were the first words out of Joe's mouth after "Nice to meet you". Katie clocked Joe's wit and sense of humor, and of course the signature handlebar mustache. Joe noticed the way she fired off her union's grievances loudly at public citizens' time, possible consequences be damned. But, they went their separate ways, never suspecting that their work would lead them back together, time and time again. Because of legislative and political issues that affected all of their unions, police, firefighters, and teachers in Prince William County realized that they needed to band together and support each other. This necessitated many meetings, working lunches, rallies, and social events between the three unions. They decided to try to to get more members involved, planning a mixer at 2 Silos. The thing was, Katie secretly had a huge crush on Joe. So far their relationship had been strictly professional. But a few drinks later at their mixer event, the truth started coming to the surface. Joe liked that Katie was lippy and had a lot of tattoos. Katie admired his passion for his work and thought he was very cute (although she phrased it much differently in the moment). After that, they became inseparable. Joe and Katie have enjoyed the last few years of traveling the world (Canada, Punta Cana, Mexico, and soon Ireland), raising their little girl, cooking delicious food, spending time with friends, sharing work experiences, and stealing occasional date nights in Old Town Manassas. Joe is a great sport as Katie convinces him to come on multiple Disney World trips and can't go even a few months without having some kind of travel plans - domestic or international. Through tough work schedules, life's challenges, and never-ending to-do lists, they have stuck together - partly because they both understand the demands of shift work and union responsibilities, and mostly because of their love for each other. On a stormy evening in July 2025, Joe proposed to Katie on a beach in the Outer Banks. We can't wait to celebrate our marriage with everyone!