Our Story
July 2019
How We Met
Libby and Brendon met in San Paulo, Brazil in July of 2019. The two were participating in a foreign exchange as part of their Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs at UCLA-Anderson. Brendon tried talking to Libby while they, along with their classmates watched the Copa America futbol games at a local watering hole. Libby did not pay attention to him until she found out that he used to work for former Congressman Tim Walz, now the Governor of her home state of Minnesota. The next day, Brendon sheepishly asked Libby if she wanted to grab pizza after a long day of classes.
The couple debates whether this was their first date.
- Brendon says: “Yes!”
- Libby says: “That was a date?”
Later that week
The World’s Longest First Date
(The real first date)
Libby and Brendon had decided to spend a few extra days in Rio De Janeiro after their classes finished. They didn’t expect it to turn into a 72-hour date.
Their first night they went out on a double date with school friends to a beautiful restaurant in the heart of Rio’s rainforest, Floresta da Tijuca. Brendon leaned in for his first kiss later that night while dancing in Rio’s infamous Lapa District.
The next night they went to the Copa America Futbol Championship where Brazil defeated Peru 3-1 in an exciting match. The two novice futbol fans, sporting Brazilian jerseys and draped in the Brazilian flag, were befriended by locals who assumed they traveled from the US to support Brazil in the tournament, making the night a blast.
On their third and final day in Brazil together, the pair rode bikes around Rio visiting the city’s oldest architecture, the Selaron Steps and Christ the Redeemer. At the end of a long weekend, Libby coerced [Libby objects to the term “coerced”] Brendon into watching Fast & Furious Five (you know, the one that takes place in Rio), insisting that it was a cinematic masterpiece and a can’t-miss Brazilian cultural experience.
The couple disagrees about the quality of the Fast & Furious franchise.
- Brendon says: “I love her despite her terrible taste in movies.”
- Libby says: “How dare you.”
The next couple of years
Falling in Love
The two continued to date long-distance for six months with Brendon living in DC and Libby in LA. He would commute to LA once a month for classes and stay at her West Hollywood apartment. She would travel back to DC with him to work out of her DC office. In between, they would Facetime each other every night while making dinner or doing chores.
When COVID-19 broke out, both Libby’s and Brendon’s offices went fully remote. Brendon traveled to L.A. with his neurotic Doberman, Jax to quarantine with Libby and her cat, Taco. The trio (Libby, Brendon, and Jax) embarked on an impromptu road trip as soon as they realized that they would have to quarantine for an unknown amount of time. Taco happily stayed home with Libby’s brother, Ben. The three visited Joshua Tree, Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef. They took hikes at sunrise, worked out of the Airbnb during the day, and roasted s’mores under the stars (and sometimes for breakfast).
After being isolated together for weeks, the two realized they liked each other even more than when their trip began.
More travel and adventures
Building a Future
Eventually, they made it back to Libby’s West Hollywood apartment where they worked from home and finished their MBA coursework virtually. After graduating, the two relocated to Salt Lake City together to enjoy more traveling, hiking, skiing, and spending time with Brendon’s family.
Finally, on December 31, 2020, the two packed up their cars and began the drive back East.
Over the previous year they had…
- Visited 8 national parks,
- Driven through 15 states, and
- Logged more than 8,000 miles on the odometer.
March 5, 2021
Getting Engaged
Libby officially transferred to DC and the two started looking for a home that would fit their family of four (Libby, Taco, Brendon, and Jax).
On March 5th, after closing on their first house, Brendon carried Libby across the threshold, kneeled and asked her to marry him.
- Brendon asked: “Will you marry me?”
- Libby said: “Yes!”