Captivating Couples 2016: Part 2

Meet eight adorable duos and learn their secrets to enduring love

Lisa & Kristin – New York, NY & Long Beach, LI
Lisa Hurd, 43, food and wellness strategist
Kristin Hurd, 43, real estate broker 
 
When a mutual friend introduced Kristin and Lisa at a party on April Fool’s Day in 2008, what they call “the cliché of meeting someone when you least expect it” was the simple truth. They had both just ended relationships that had been “complete disasters,” and “were questioning if the whole relationship ‘thing’ was actually our ‘thing,’” they say. Yet, the mutual chemistry they felt at the soiree was undeniable—although prior, Lisa had never dated another woman and she initially felt some heady confusion over her attraction to Kristin. Nonetheless, they exchanged numbers and continued to spend time together, slowly getting to know one another. And they’ve been together ever since.
 
What started as a couple’s getaway turned into the ultimate romantic vacation when Kristin and Lisa eloped in Provincetown, Mass. on New Year’s Eve in 2009. It was a snowy night and they said their vows overlooking the ocean at the Land’s End Inn. “It was only the two of us, the reverend, our dogs and the inn keeper,” they say. “It was sweet and super intimate.” They later held a second, lavish celebration of their nuptials in New York City with 75 of their closest friends and family members. The opulent ceremony took place in the penthouse of the East Village’s Cooper Square Hotel (now the Standard East), where guests enjoyed spectacular floor-to-ceiling, 360-degree views of the Manhattan skyline. “The amount of pure joy, love and happiness in the air” that night was palpable, and “everything,” they say, “we wished our wedding would look like lay there in front of us.” 
 
Kristin and Lisa are now the proud parents of Grayson, 3. Lisa gave birth to Grayson after the couple used an anonymous donor, and Kristin adopted him. “Having a child is the biggest responsibility and relationship-altering challenge,” they assert. “It’s also the greatest gift. Our relationship shifted from doing whatever we want, when we want, and how we want it, to being totally focused on this little person and his needs.” Of course, Grayson is “the light of their lives,” and the couple hopes to bring another child into the family going forward. 
 
The duo credits their longevity with “accepting the other for exactly who they are” and “totally supporting what the other needs to do when they need to grow as a person. Never stifling them.” Kristin admires that Lisa “is one of the most kind and compassionate people” she’s ever known. “She also is really good at cracking herself up and it makes me laugh because she is funny! And I would be remiss in not mentioning that she loves being sexy. Eight years and one child later, she loves being sexy and I love that about her.” Lisa says, “I still get excited to see Kristin at the end of the day. She has an incredible energy, confidence, and sense of style that is only amplified by her beautifully generous and compassionate heart. And I still think she's hot after eight years!”
 
Keep an eye out for more on Kristin and Lisa’s “Road to the Family” on gomag.com this summer!
 

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