What do Gay Disney, the Na’Pali coast, San Diego, and Seattle all have in common? They all play a role in Brian and Ty’s – Leo’s daddies love story. In the series opener for “It Takes A Village: Our Path to Leo”, Brian and Ty talk about how they met, fell in love, and began discussions around the donor process, surrogacy, and their journey to Leo.
Brian and Ty met by chance in Orlando at Gay Disney at the Typhoon Lagoon. Brian was in Florida for work but soon realized that his trip coincided with Gay Disney. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Brian extended his stay through the weekend. One night, while on the dance floor at Typhoon Lagoon, Brian bumped into Ty and there was an instant spark between them. The two spent hours in deep conversation, the kind of conversation people have months into a relationship. They chatted about who they were, their goals and dreams, and plans for their future – basically covered EVERYTHING. All the while, there was a full-blown party happening all around them. This conversation and instant connection put them on a high-speed path to forever.
The weekend came to an end with Ty going back to Seattle and Brian returning to San Diego. How would they make this work? Three weeks after they met in Florida, Ty hopped on a plane to San Diego for the weekend. One night, the pair went to Sunset Cliffs in San Diego to watch the sunset where their conversations continued but were even deeper. They opened up about their lives in their respective cities, how each other might fit into those lives, and plans for their future (including having kids). This is where the path to Leo all began!
Although he desperately wanted a family of his own, Brian shared with Ty that he was going to be a donor for his friends, Kristen and Renee. Naturally, this sparked lots of questions from Ty. Where would they live? Would they be tied to this new family? Would this impact their ability to have a child of their own down the road? Ty was very curious and extremely supportive but ultimately, Brian decided that emotionally it would be better if he bowed out of the donor process with Kristen and Renee in favor of building a life with Ty.
Nine months into their relationship, Brian and Ty were on vacation in Hawaii. They were hiking on the Na’Pali coast when they veered off the path to a beautiful waterfall. It was in the freezing water at the base of the fall that Ty asked Brian to marry him. From there, everything happened quickly. Brian moved up to Seattle and the two began planning the wedding while working full-time jobs. Brian had more than an hour’s commute one way and Ty was spending 120+ hours at the hospital as a chief resident. The summer of 2015 was the culmination of their love story.
Brian and Ty married in July of 2015. Between July and August of 2015, the couple married, went on their honeymoon, packed up their home in Seattle, and relocated to Denver. Stay tuned for Episode 2 when Brian and Ty begin their family planning with Dr. Greene and the team at Conceptions
To download and listen to Episode 1, click here: https://anchor.fm/alex-lee-ammons/episodes/Chapter-1-All-Good-Love-Stories-Start-on-the-Dance-Floor-e1cqif7/a-a77jaor