A little over three decades ago, two Italian-Americans from Brooklyn, New York, decided to voyage over The Verrazano Bridge and start their family in a small but mighty Island called 'Staten'. Their first child, born March 18th of 1993, was James and now, 31 years later, we have this simple but spectacular love story to tell.

James spent 28 years of his life in Staten Island sharing life with amazing friends and family, creating unforgettable memories and making all kinds of mistakes in the process. A lot of those mistakes came in regards to the quest to find romantic Love, which started some time in high school. He did not really know what he was doing, all he knew was that he wanted to be loved -- because he had so much love to give.

James went through his teens and early 20s learning more and more about love, relationships, adulthood, emotions and how to be a gentleman. Each failed talking stage, date and relationship was a punch to the gut -- but he made it a point to learn from every single one and get better.

But how many lessons would there be? How much more would his character be tested? After many, many hours of deep thought, James decided to leave that faithful rock he called home for greener pastures in Raleigh, North Carolina. His family had moved there in 2018 and he was hoping the love he yearned for would be there for him to find.

Still, the romantic rodeo rolled onward. Progress was being made but James quickly became emotionally exhausted and was on the brink of a numbness he did not want to succumb to. Luckily for him, he wasn't raised by quitters. He couldn't throw in the towel, not after all the progress he had made. So he fired up Hinge one more time and swiped right on a girl named Sheena.

A native of a small town in North Carolina called Goldsboro, Sheena Cisneros had visions of city life. After getting her degree in dental hygiene, she ventured an hour northwest to live in the state's capital, Raleigh, where she began her adult life. Like any young, doe-eyed person would do, she spread her wings and let loose. She embraced her independence and was excited to start beautifying people's teeth for a living.

But cleaning teeth wasn't Sheena's main want and need in life. Just like anyone else, Sheena wanted to be loved and respected in a happy and healthy romantic relationship. While she had the supportive and culinarily-inclined Ecuadorian family, a great group of friends and the job she had studied so hard to get providing fulfillment, she realized she did not quite have the right romantic connection in place. After some time, she started thinking, "Am I living a lie, trying to convince myself I'm with the right person? Or is this how love is supposed to be?". She wrestled with these questions mightily until, one day, she finally chose herself and was set free.

Being single after years of being taken can be scary. The unknown can be overwhelming, the fear can paralyze you. But Sheena continued to choose herself, heal her soul and persevere through some dark days; determined to not let anything defeat her. Eventually, she took the advice of a girlfriend and downloaded a dating app for the first time. After a couple of failed attempts, she got a Like from a Spanish-looking but secretly Italian baby-faced boy named James, and decided to give him a shot.

Neither James nor Sheena had much hope that anything would really transpire from Hinge. James had failed so many times, it just didn't seem like it was in the cards for him. Sheena was skeptical that she would actually meet a legitimately genuine person she would connect with on there. But, after a week or so of talking, they met up for sushi at a spot in Cameron Village with open minds and an open heart.

And that has really been the definition of James and Sheena since that first encounter: Willingness to be open. Even though intrusive thoughts continually tried to penetrate their brains and get them to veer away from each other, they continued to be openminded and slowly let each other in. Date by date, they came to the realization that their connection was something they both had not quite experienced before. It was different in all the best ways and both were cautiously optimistic. Could this actually be real?

A few months later, on Valentine's Day, James invited Sheena to his apartment for a romantic night in. He would cook her favorite pasta dish -- the classic Carbonara. James had never made a carbonara before but this was the perfect opportunity to really impress his girlfriend. So he gave it a go and, while it wasn't perfect, it was enough for Sheena to clutch her chest, smile and say "I love carbonara. Thank you."

A few hours later, after the pasta and salad had been digested and washed down with a glass of Cabernet or two, James finally got up the courage to tell the girl that he was now in love with that he loved her. As he began his speech, the thoughts of all his trials and errors flooded his mind. The dark days of feeling utterly unworthy and not good enough forced tears from his eyes. But, this time, they were spurred by feelings of pure happiness as he heard Sheena say, "I love you too".

Since that day, James and Sheena have not stopped telling each other those three little words that mean so very much. They have never stopped being open with each other and letting love into their lives. Something they thought might have been impossible somehow became a reality. They are proof that When there is a will, there is a way. Their lives would be completely different if they had decided to give up on love, to forego growing as individuals. Instead, they healed their wounds, learned from their mistakes and gave love another chance.

Now that love will be lasting a lifetime. Sometimes a good thing is just that -- a good thing.

Q + A

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