TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)—In a year that’s been anything but expected, a North Carolina couple is thankful to be back home after two hurricanes left them stuck on their honeymoon.

Richard and Monica Sheubrooks just got married in July. It’s quite apparent in the way these newlyweds look at each other that this is love.

“She’s a beautiful woman with a personality as bright as her outfit,” said Richard as he smiled towards his wife.

It’s a love that brought light back to Richard’s life after a dark time. He lost his first wife to breast cancer, leaving him to raise his two children as a single father.

“A 7-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a father going through it. It was not easy, and we relied on friends and family heavily.”

Love eventually found a way to heal the family, and Richard found Monica.

“We both knew we had been through struggles and that life is not easy,” said Monica. “We hit it off right away. We knew it was meant to be.”

When it came time for their wedding, like much of 2020, it seemed that everything went wrong. In addition to the pandemic, vendors canceled last minute, a mirror broke, and the groom accidentally overslept.

“It rained twice, but you know what? The show goes on,” said Monica.

When it rained, everyone at the wedding took it as an opportunity to dance. Video from the special day shows the family laughing and smiling despite the raindrops.

If that wasn’t chaotic enough, not one, but two tropical storms emerged in the Gulf as the couple was on their honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico. Photos from the trip show their tropical paradise interrupted by dark skies and rough seas as Hurricanes Marco and Laura passed.

“We got postponed in Mexico due to Marco,” said Monica.

Around the same time, the Hurricane Hunters flew into the storms to collect crucial data that would eventually help pave the way for the couple to safely fly back home.

“They fly through hurricanes and release instruments to test the pressure and the weather and everything else,” said Richard. “I have no idea how they accomplish that because I would be scared to death.”

It was a wedding and honeymoon that no one anticipated.

“I’m going to say it was beautiful chaos,” laughed Richard.

Despite all they’ve been through, the couple says they are extremely thankful and they’re ready to take on anything together.

“It’s a wonderful thing to be married to such an incredible person,” said Richard. “I feel very fortunate and lucky to be in this chair right now.”

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