Our journey began on August 3, 2023. It’s safe to say that both Gen and I were at a point in our lives where we had given up on ever finding our forever person. In a last ditch effort to try and see if there was someone out there for me, I ended up, of all places, the dating app on Facebook. As I was scrolling, the bio of Genevie Vasquez caught my eye. “I’m just gonna hang by the bar and put out the vibe”. (If you know, you know). I thought to myself “I have to talk to this girl!” We matched and immediately the Dumb and dumber quotes started flying. Both of us had very bad experiences in our past so neither one of us were looking for something serious. I think at that point we were both coming to terms with the idea of being single parents for the rest of our lives. What started of as both of us just wanting to hang out and have fun quickly turned into something very different than we both expected.

We texted and talked on the phone for the first couple of weeks and had our first date on August 19th. We went to an Angels game. As we sat in the stands talking and getting to know each other I remember thinking to myself how easy she was to talk to and open up to. It was a little too easy because there were some things that I opened up about that I was sure she was going to run for the hills. We ate at In N Out after the game and continued talking and laughing. After dinner, neither of us wanted the night to end so we decided to go to a movie. On the way up the escalator I decided it was time for our first kiss. And from there the sparks flew.

From that night on we talked and texted and saw each other as much as our schedules allowed us to and after a few months we decided that it was time for the kids to meet. We all went to Knott’s Berry Farm and had an absolute blast together. The kids got along great, and although we both thought Leila was going to be a tough one, her and I seemed to click almost instantly. It was just her and I riding the roller coasters together so we got the chance to talk and get to know each other. I think after the kids met and got along was when I truly knew that this was going to be a forever kind of thing.

On Christmas Day, I got to spend the day with Gen’s family and I got to meet everyone, including grandma Toni. I was so nervous to meet her because I knew that if she didn’t like me, it was all over. Sadly, I never got the chance for her to really get to know me, but I feel like she liked what she knew of me and I hope that she’s looking down on me with a smile.

Gen and I decided to move in together a couple of months later and although any blended family has its trials, our communication and love for each other definitely helped us get through those trials. I think it was at that point I knew that I wanted to marry her so I enlisted Bri to do some recon work on what kind of ring Gen would like. I also knew that there were two people that I needed to talk to before I got too far ahead of myself. One of them was Gen’s dad, Rod and the other was Little Miss Leila. I asked Leila “what would you say if I asked your mom to marry me” and in true Leila fashion she said “Danny, I give you permission to marry my mom.” When I asked Rod all I said was “hey Rod, I have something I want to ask you” and before I could say anything else, he said “I know what you’re going to ask me and the answer is yes. I would be proud to have you marry my daughter.“

I decided to propose on the one year anniversary of us meeting. Anyone who knows Gen knows that the beach at sunset is her favorite place in the whole world so that’s where I decided to do it. I had this whole romantic plan of proposing to her on the pier in Newport Beach, but when we got down there, we quickly realized that this was the weekend they were having the U.S. Open surf competition. It seemed like everyone in Southern California was on the beach that day. We walked around the beach and went in to some shops and in one of the shops, she saw a ring that she absolutely loved and had to have. It was so funny because little did she know, there was also a ring in my pocket. We had dinner at the crab cooker and when we were done, there was still about 45 minutes until sunset. As we were getting ready to leave the restaurant, she said “are you ready to go home?” I thought to myself ummm excuse me ma’am but no, I am not ready to go home. I have a plan!! I talked her into going for a walk on the pier one more time before we left. We were sitting on a bench on the pier talking and all of a sudden I start getting calls and text messages from Leila. “Did you do it yet?!” “What did she say?!” I had to make this quick before she figured out what was going on! Again, if you really know Gen, you know that she does not like to be the center of attention. As I began my proposal speech, I started to reach into my pocket and get down on one knee and she immediately grabbed me by the collar and pulled me close to her and said “What are you doing?! “Are you serious?!” at this point it was impossible for me to get down on one knee, so I just asked her “will you marry me?” It was truly the happiest moment of my life because I never thought I would find a woman who loves, supports, motivates me, and allows me to be me. She truly is my best friend and makes me want to be a better man every day.

I am so glad that we get to spend this day with all of you because all of you, whether it be friends or family have all played a huge role in our lives in one way or another. And I look forward to seeing you all at the wedding!

-Danny