"Where did you two meet?" As Shawn tells it: On July 5, 2020 we met in the parking lot of a Thai restaurant! (There may have been a little cosmic assistance from Bumble, but that's where it all began.) Being that it was in the early days of the pandemic, we'd each quarantined for a week before meeting, and there was an air of anticipation.

She immediately noticed his calm demeanor and fun flamingo shirt, and he noticed her beautiful face and nervous energy. Leah ordered the meal, as the resident Thai aficionado, and we began what would prove to be each of our last first dates.

Once we had our food, we tried eating in the courtyard behind the restaurant. It was July in Texas with no shade, and we were quickly realizing that this wasn't the best idea. Shawn, in a moment of uncharacteristic boldness, suggested we take our food back to his place nearby. Leah, now vindicated, made a decision that was very questionable at the time, and said yes.

A short drive had us there and on the back porch with our dinner. You'll be unsurprised to learn that it was still uncomfortably hot, even in the shade. So, continuing with her increasingly risky decisions and his audaciousness, they moved the meal inside to the sweet embrace of air conditioning. A long and auspicious conversation followed, though neither of us can remember a thing we talked about. Nevertheless, that is how we first met, and how our story began!


And here we are nearly 3 years later- having survived a rough bout of Covid together, sheltering in place through Snowvid 2021, nursing school and a career change apiece- laughing all the way through it and growing more in love each day. We have built a lifetime of memories together already, and are so excited for what our future holds!