If someone told me that I would find a person that made it comfortable to be me I would have rolled my eyes and scoffed in disbelief.

Our story began on a Vegas strip bridge, the moment was full of laughter and jokes. Until suddenly, Ian was caught with a face full of beer and as this wild, independent young girl ran away in delight, the long and complicated tale of our deep connection had begun.

Neither of us could have predicted the outcome of our story, but we both feel so lucky to have found someone who truly gives us permission to be our true selves.

It all started in a fun filled wedding weekend in Vegas. Was it our first encounter no, but it was the catalyst for a truly magical connection. After Ian cleared the beer from his eyes, our time was spent swindling free drinks from the casino bartenders, laughing at nothing and everything and just enjoying a new found friendship where we could just be ourselves. Our story had only begun and we were blind to where it would lead.

For Sophie, Ian was always the one man who she could truly count on, besides her father. She called him her brother, with little understanding of how that title would become a joke so many years later.

You see Ian was already married and expecting his first child soon. And with a desire to find a place to call home Sophie attached herself to his family and found solace in a complicated life anytime she was able to get away to see the Websters.

Never did they cross any boundaries, never did they think they would eventually end up together, never did they even look at each other with the idea of that potential. They were just there for each other as friends through every trial and tribulation of their very separate, yet connected lives.

Sophie went on to bounce from toxic relationship to toxic relationship, only seeking someone who would love her for all of her wild, bold and sometimes unbearable self. But she held no self worth, she sacrificed herself for any chance at a relationship and settled for any man that showed her the least bit of attention. Her willingness to believe in the potential of people led to many years of self deprecating experiences that slowly yet consistently widdled away any love she might have felt for herself. She came to believe that love hurt, and abuse was what she deserved. However, Ian constantly worked on building her up. He held her when she was down, called her regularly to check on her and even at one point threatened to come save her from the dangerous and ugly people she had chosen to surround herself with. He was steadfast in his belief that she deserved the best and pushed her to find a nice guy. All the while he was also raising two kids and doing everything he could to make sure everyone around him was taken care of, fed and felt loved.

Sophie was regular part of the Webster family. She made sure she was a constant and dependable figure in both Ian's children’s' lives, was there to support both him and his current wife and would steal away to Durango at any chance she could.

For a long time Ian lived a happy life. He did his best to provide for his family. He always cooked the best food and made every effort to give both his partner and his children the best life he could provide. But as history has proven in many the human story, efforts to be the best you are not always recognized. He too was being complacent in his self worth and due to his efforts to please his family was being under minded, torn down and eventually controlled. Sophie saw this all first hand. But in the fear that standing tall for him would cause her to lose him, she sat by and watched. Biting her tongue about how she knew he deserved so much more.

Neither of them were perfect, they made mistakes and failed in many ways. But what mattered most was that they were always working towards being better, always trying to prove their worth and always still seeking a place that recognized all they had to offer.

Through each of their individual paths, they were always there for each other. They would talk for hours about nothing and for brief moments about everything. They were each other’s safe place, comfort and where they always knew they could go when they truly needed to be seen.

As time went on they both persevered through their individual hardships, and worked as hard as they could to build happy lives of their own. But life moved forward and each of their stories began to go downhill. Sophie lived through a horrible relationship and escaped. However, was left with the idea that she was just going to be alone with far too many pets for the rest of her life. And honestly, she found comfort in this idea. She settled in to the habit of pushing any man away and began working towards learning to hold value in herself again.

During this time Ian’s relationship was deteriorating and despite his efforts to find reconnection with his partner eventually they decided to end things. He was battling to keep his family together while coming to realize the best thing he could do for himself and his children was to prioritize his desire to have a happy life. As history had proven, Sophie was there to support him as a shoulder to cry on and a friend to help him refind his own self worth.

And as so many of our classic fairytales have taught us, through their mutual pain and their constant friendship, they began to understand that neither of them wanted a life without the other. With a solid foundation ,built on years of friendship, they began to build a relationship based on love, understanding and an inherent desire to find a safe and loving partner to walk through life with. They both knew the happiest they were was when they were together. Each of them helping the other reassemble the broken pieces of their identities and more importantly their hearts.

So with that their path met and became one. Sophie was willing to leave her life and move to Durango so that Ian could be a daily part of the kids lives. He got his own home. A beautiful place of his own that gave both kids their own room and space to grow. Sophie was working towards finishing her school year and both were traveling back and forth between Durango and Denver to ensure they were seeing each other as much as possible.

They were both truly happy and had found someone that honestly knew them better than they knew themselves. As time went on the reality of leaving a home Sophie owned and a well paying teaching position began to influence them to consider relocating to Denver together instead of the small town atmosphere of Durango. Times together were beautiful but the consequences of Ian’s tumultuous divorce solidified the reality that their best chance was to be in Denver.

And so in May Ian moved away from Durango a place he had known for 20 years, to join Sophie in the big city. Their individual story became a story of two and they were excited for what the future held.

Now together, they were doing everything to learn to love life again. They each found themselves and began to stand taller, laugh louder and unapologetically show the world everything they had to offer. They continue to challenge each other to be better, dive into new experiences and grow as both individuals and as life partners.

And now we are caught up, and with more excitement than ever know they are looking forward to becoming united and beginning their ride through life together. Both spent a life searching for their home and have finally found it within the heart of the other.