It was a humid September morning in 2023 at Florida International University. The air was thick with ambition, protein powder, and the lingering scent of icy hot.

The entire athletic department had gathered for the legendary quarterly all-staff meeting — a gathering whispered about in offices and locker rooms alike.

Ryan Webb, a seasoned football staffer and proud owner of approximately 37 polos, had been with FIU since December 2021. For nearly 20 months, he roamed the halls alone, a lone wolf of the facility. He had grown close with the vending machine on the second floor. Rumor has it he even named it. Those were hard times.

Enter: Rebekah.

In August 2023, Rebekah donned the whistle of destiny and joined FIU as the new Assistant Volleyball Coach. Her reputation preceded her, a force of nature on and off the court, known for her fiery spirit, strategic brilliance, and uncanny ability to set a ball perfectly with one hand while holding a protein shake in the other.

They first crossed paths at that fabled staff meeting in September, but this wasn’t just any staff meeting. No, this one involved a surprise team-building relay race (budget cuts meant no PowerPoint access).

Picture it: administrators crab-walking, trainers tossing foam rollers like javelins, and the coaches forming a human pyramid in protest.

In the final event (a dizzy bat sprint combined with a trust fall) Rebekah stepped up for Team Volleyball. Ryan, unaware of his fate, was assigned as her catcher.

What happened next is still debated to this day.

Rebekah spun like a caffeinated hurricane, stumbled toward the designated “fall zone,” and, defying both gravity and good judgment, launched herself backward.

Ryan, with the reflexes of a caffeine-fueled coordinator, lunged like a defensive back on 4th and goal. He caught her mid-air, cradled like a champion holding a trophy forged in fate.

Time stopped.

A hush fell over the conference room. Somewhere, a whistle blew. Someone fainted. A volleyball gently rolled across the linoleum floor, as if to say, “It is done.”

And in that moment — mouth guards and cleats scattered like rose petals, Brandon Buchner weeping softly in the corner. Ryan and Rebekah looked at each other and knew: this was the beginning of something legendary.

From that unforgettable moment forward, Ryan and Rebekah launched into a year of sun-soaked adventuring through the heart and soul of Miami. They chased sunsets in Coconut Grove, did battle with I-95 traffic, over-ordered croquetas in Little Havana, and became deeply loyal to a very specific Cuban coffee window they still won’t disclose.

They explored the city like it was their personal rom-com set. Beach mornings, rooftop evenings, art walks, volleyball courts, football fields, and one regrettable paddleboarding incident involving jellyfish, a flamingo float, and Ryan’s temporary loss of dignity.

But as 2024 drew to a close, life, in all its unpredictability, threw them a wild pitch.

Big decisions loomed. Career paths shifted. And in the midst of it all, on New Year’s Eve, Ryan surprisingly appeared (Rebekah was INCREDIBLY surprised) in the historic streets of St. Augustine, the nation’s oldest city.

Ryan, with flowers in hand, and a ring in his back pocket, dropped to one knee in front of the historic Flagler Hotel and surprised Rebekah with a proposal that was equal parts heartfelt, tear-inducing, and slightly chaotic (she definitely said yes, though not before asking “Wait, is this real?” three times).

And just like that, 2025 began not with resolutions, but with a ring, a new beginning, a quick cruise in the Bahamas to celebrate, and then a 30 hour road trip. A cross-country move to Denver.

Together, they traded whistles for whiteboards, clipboards for coffee shops, and sports schedules for startup spreadsheets.

The mile-high city became their fresh start. Far from athletics, but even closer to each other.

The story is just beginning. And yes, it’s still being written, but now, they’re writing it together.

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