It was pure coincidence the night Joe and I first met. He was considering picking up another shift at the jail. I was at home relaxing with some friends. Luckily, we each decided to go out and meet up with some mutual friends at a bar instead. This quiet, socially awkward woman sat right next to this loud, outgoing man. We tried ignoring each other for a while but as you all know, neither one of us can resist laughing and dancing. And that’s exactly what we, two strangers, did until our friends were long gone and the bar was closing. A year and a half later the laughter and dancing hasn’t stopped. It’s not uncommon to catch us dancing in a restaurant, in the kitchen or at a friend’s house. The laughter and joy is simply contagious. My son, William, has a bond with Joe that would warm even the coldest of hearts. It takes a special person to treat a child as their own and Joe has done just that from the very beginning. Our wedding is more than a commitment between husband and wife, it is a journey the three of us will take together, as a family.