This is a story Riandro particularly loves to tell. We met out and about one night at a bar (who is surprised). A real modern day love story…

**Boy meets girl. Girl finds out how old boy is, and girl immediately becomes uninterested**

“Why don’t you hit on someone your own age” was the line I gave him (6 years seemed like a much bigger deal at the time…haha). But as the night progressed, this boy was very persistent—- and needless to say his persistence paid off… for both of us!

We have been living in Pensacola, Florida for the last 2 and a half years. We love going to the beach, exploring all of the local restaurants and breweries, going paddle boarding, and hanging out at home with our kitty, Hermie! We bought our first house in June 2023, and we have spent the last 10 months renovating and making it our own. Now our journey is continuing, and by the end of this year we will be heading to our next station— San Diego, California… we could not be happier for this new adventure!

For those friends and family who have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Riandro, here is a little bit about him:

Riandro Ferreira Da Cruz Vogt

He was born and raised in Manaus, Brazil. His mother is a native Brazilian, and his father was a biologist who had been living in Brazil and Mexico for 20+ years, but was originally from Wisconsin. After graduating high school at age 16, he moved in with his Aunt and Uncle in Wisconsin, where he quickly had to learn English and began to go to college. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Aerospace Engineering, when he was then recruited by the Marine Corp and realized he would be able to join and pursue his dream.. to become a Pilot! Riandro recently finished up flight school, receiving his wings on 3/8/24, and will officially be flying the helicopter, CH-53s! He will be in Jacksonville, NC for the next few months learning to fly this aircraft before joining the fleet in San Diego, California at the end of the year.

Now for those of you who I have not yet met, I am so glad you’re here! I’ll tell you just a little bit about me:

Leslie Nicole Herman

I was born and raised in Coal City, Illinois. I went to the University of Illinois for my undergraduate degree before moving down south to pursue my Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of South Alabama. After graduating, I decided to make the panhandle of Florida my home where I have been able to live in the amazing beach towns of Panama City Beach, Destin, and Pensacola, Florida. I am currently working as a Speech-Language Pathologist in the hospital setting. As much as I am going to miss my white sand beaches of the panhandle of Florida, I can not wait to explore everything the West Coast has to offer!

We are so blessed to have found each other in this life and can not wait for all of the adventures that lie ahead!