Considering the fact that Sean and I grew up in the same home town, and lived at a fairly close distance for our entire lives, it's a wonder that we didn’t meet a lot sooner than we did. I first spotted Sean one day at Long Beach City College in 2007, back when he was sporting a punk rock hairstyle (the first of many styles I had yet to witness lol). We were casually introduced by our mutual friend, Jaime. At that time, I didn’t think Sean and I would have much in common. It wasn’t until the fall of 2008 that those thoughts would change. We were sitting in the campus cafeteria and had our first real conversation one on one, and before I realized it, we had chatted for hours! It was then that a thought popped into my head and said “Girl, you REALLY like this guy!” As time went on, Sean and I got really close as friends. We’d meet for lunch, go to the movies, and hang out with mutual friends. We had such a great thing going that I didn’t want to tell him that I had deeper feeling for him. I was afraid that if I told him, it would ruin what we had. Even so, some part of me always hoped that he would one day turn to me and say he felt the same way about me. I didn’t think it would actually happen. Until one night in 2010, it did.

I first met Katie in 2007. She had always been in the neighborhood of my other friends but we didn’t formally meet until Jaime introduced us. I probably had seen her around before but something really caught my attention that particular time. Thinking about it now, it was the killer combination of her smile and new hairstyle, a straightened short dark cut. We started running into each other more and more, mostly between classes to share a bagel and a pleasant conversation. Soon though our little meal meetings became more frequent and our pleasant conversations became hour long discussions. I had never met someone quite like her, the conversation flowed so easily, from anything serious to entire discussions consisting of nothing but random movie quotes (we totally have the same sense of humor). These then turned to hangouts after school and on weekends. Actually, if I had free time I would ask myself “Why weren't we already hanging out today?” That would usually be when I’d text or call and we’d meet up and pick up right where we had left off previously. This went on for years, and gradually I started to realize how much I liked this girl. Then one night in 2010 I finally worked up the courage to say how I felt.

Katie & Sean were very much inseparable. You rarely saw one without the other. Their friendship became the foundation for a steadfast romantic relationship. And though it wasn’t always smooth sailing, they grew stronger together. In 2016 they moved in together, and in 2017 expanded their family with two furless kitties. Then in October of 2020, in a mountain cabin in Oakhurst California, Sean asked Katie the question she’d been dreaming about for years. Of course, she said yes.