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Jeff and Lehua met at their workplace back in 2014; Lehua was in her first job out of college, and Jeff was moving into a new role in software development. Jeff was coming in for an interview with the VP, whose office was right behind Lehua’s desk. They exchanged smiles as he walked through the door, in a purple shirt, and dark suit. They worked in different departments, and on different floors but, through chance meetings, found ways to connect with each other: Lehua would walk up to the second floor to speak to someone in development about a project instead of writing an email, and Jeff used the work messaging system to ask Lehua if she was watching the Hawks game that weekend.

Lehua learned quickly of Jeff's passion for the Seahawks, and it wasn't long before she found herself at Target, picking out her very first Seahawks T-shirt and participating in Blue Friday. Although she had been around football all her life, having grown up in Hawai'i, she never aligned herself with any specific NFL team – after all, Hawai'i doesn't have one. Even during her four years in Tacoma for school, the Seahawks only really caught her attention during their Super Bowl run, coincidentally the same season she met Jeff.

Lehua noticed that the messages and texts from Jeff were less frequent - maybe she had made up the feelings in her head? Was it possible they simply had nothing left to discuss, nothing in common? They weren’t romantically involved, but they had been chatting in a pleasant routine, until now. Honestly, she was annoyed and... without admitting it, pretty sad. She figured it was time to move on.

Some months had passed, and Lehua’s colleague, the department intern, was eager to play in the work softball league. She begged Lehua to join her, and Lehua reluctantly agreed. On the first day of practice, she soon realized that Jeff was the group’s coach. Awkward.

Jeff was determined to reconnect with Lehua, despite noticing a distinct ambivalence from her, which he felt was ice cold. He insisted that she use his extra softball glove for practice. His offer was not only kind but practical too; he had spare gloves, and she didn’t have any. How was she supposed to play softball without a glove? Initially, Lehua dismissed the idea, but soon realized she indeed needed a glove to play. She accepted his kind gesture. Gradually, the ice thawed, and after practice, they found themselves chatting about… well, nothing in particular. They simply enjoyed each other’s company.

One day after practice, Jeff asked Lehua out on their first date, and you may have guessed it: watching a pre-season Seahawks game together at a bar.

Jeff and Lehua now live happily in West Seattle, sharing their home with six cats. This past year, they welcomed a new member to their family: Tui, a stray kitten they found eating out of a dumpster outside their home. To their surprise, they soon discovered that Tui was pregnant. They assisted Tui in delivering seven beautiful kittens in one of their closets. They managed to find loving homes for most of the kittens through friends and family. As Lehua’s mom once said, 'What’s four cats, when you have three?' Applying this logic, they embraced their fate and adopted the remaining three kittens. Their family now includes M&M, Meadow, Tui, Hades, Serenity, and Hideki, and they couldn’t be happier.

Some of their favorite things include riding ferry boats, discovering new towns, spending time with family and friends, antique shopping, the water, trying new restaurants and bars, and doting on their nieces and nephews.