From Tony: A part of me wonders why it took so long for us to find each other. We basically lived in the same small area for many years. We probably frequented the same grocery stores, movie houses, gas stations. Our paths never crossed. Instead, we met online, which is not unusual these days. But what is unusual is we both kept our faith in love, despite deep rooted scars from past connections.

Our story is a collection of many tiny stories that embody the history of Brian and Tony. For over two years we have explored new cities, gone on a ton of Mystery Dates (all planned by Brian), updated a kitchen in the heat of the summer, got another cat (despite our better judgement), met new friends, and moved. Then moved again. Then moved again. That's my fault. We're alike in so many ways. We go way too hard on the holidays, from Halloween through St. Patrick's Day. Our close friends and family are everything, and we both work hard not to lose those connections.

Brian is not just my partner in life. He is the person that I didn't know I needed. He doesn't shy away from hard things. He embraces them with gusto. Every moment with him is an experience, and even when he's struggling with kids, work, life in general, he never fails to take a moment to make me laugh. Brian puts everyone's needs above his own and never fails to make the people in his life feel special. He has a bright, beautiful, genuine smile that makes even my hardest days feel softer. To say I feel blessed is an understatement. I'm so glad we finally found each other.

So that's my version of our story.

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From Brian: If you had told me years ago that I’d one day meet a woman who is stunning, brilliant, kind, honest, successful, witty, adored by her friends, loved by my kids, and somehow still willing to marry me, I would’ve smiled politely and suggested you hydrate. Yet here we are, and she’s real, she said yes, and I’m still processing it while checking for hidden cameras.

Tony is the kind of person who walks into a room and instantly upgrades the lighting. She’s warm without trying, funny without effort, and has this uncanny ability to make everyone around her feel like they matter. Her friends would follow her into battle; my friends would follow her into Costco on a Saturday. Kevin and Juliana think she’s magic and honestly so do I.

After navigating a previously… let’s say horrific chapter of life - the kind with enough chaos and drama to make even seasoned storytellers ask for a rewrite, I wasn’t sure I’d ever find someone who truly "gets it", Someone who understands partnership, shows up every day, and believes love is built in the small, steady moments. Then Tony arrived and suddenly everything felt simple in the best possible way. Like the universe finally said, “Okay, Brian, here’s the good stuff.”

She loves fiercely, laughs easily, and somehow makes even grocery trips feel like a date. She’s my calm, my spark, one of my 3 favorite people to tell things to, and the only person who can get me to watch a show I swore I wasn’t interested in… and then somehow make me love it.

One of the things I’m most grateful for is the way she loves Kevin and Juliana... not politely, not performatively, but with this genuine, wholehearted affection that makes them feel seen, safe, and adored. Watching them light up around her is one of the great joys of my life and honestly, I’m still trying to figure out how she got them to believe her word over my shenanigans.

In short: she’s my dream girl. The real kind, not the imaginary one you invent when you’re young and don’t know any better. The kind you meet later in life, when you’ve earned the wisdom to recognize something extraordinary and the gratitude to never take it for granted.

Making it a weekend getaway? Here is a list of some of our favorite places to hang in Austin: