Sara Rose Kellenberger and Dylan Johnson have been together for eight years this April 1. The couple says they chose that date “because we are fools in love, and there was no clear beginning for when our relationship started. We were pretty inseparable once we got close and never thought to make anything official.” After being longtime Southern California residents, the two moved to Lopez in 2020.

The Weekly sat down with them and asked questions about their relationship in honor of Valentine’s Day.

Question: How did you meet, and what were your first impressions?

Dylan: When we first met 22 years ago, we were friends with each other’s ex-partners, and we both found the other annoying and performative. It was very much like children in the playground teasing each other, but really, we had a crush on one another and didn’t know how to handle it in a healthy way. We would always see each other at house parties and concerts at our favorite venues, Showcase Theater and Glass House.

We lost touch for eight years while we were on different paths and in different relationships. Once our relationships had ended and we made choices to dramatically change our lives, we crossed paths.

Sara: I took a job at a private hair salon called Brooklyn Hair Co., and on my first day, Dylan was working at the station right in front of me as a barber. It was hard to deny the synchronicities because Dylan’s path to the salon was paved by fated events as well, including a near-death experience. Our chemistry was undeniable; he has always been the love of my life.

Question: When did you notice you were falling in love?

Sara: After months of being friends and getting to know Dylan, I realized how much I loved him and how aligned we were. We were both creating our own businesses — he with multiple barbershops, and me with a career as a tattoo artist. We both had two kids, with our oldest being born an hour apart and a mile apart of each other (they even look alike). We both used to be youth ministers heavily involved in the church, and then left religion and became deeply spiritual. We had the same attachment styles, humor, personality profiles, Myers-Briggs, and even our astrological charts mirrored each other’s core beliefs. It felt like what I lacked he had, and vice versa. It just was too much to ignore. I trusted him and knew him deeply, and most importantly, felt safe around him.

Dylan: I knew when I quit working at the salon and opened my own shop. Sara wasn’t there by my side, working next to me, spending her days with me, and I was aching to feel her presence.

Question: What are some of the greatest challenges you have had to overcome?

Sara: Maintaining mental and physical health and finding the time or energy for ourselves and each other has been our toughest challenge. We both would put so much time into everyone else over the last couple of years that we forgot we needed our time and energy the most.

Dylan: We had some really hard experiences and betrayals these last couple of years, which have caused us to reevaluate who will be in our lives going forward, and we are actively choosing to keep our circle small.

Question: When are you happiest together?

Sara: We are happiest when we are traveling or creating. Dylan and I are deeply creative and complex people; our fulfillment in life is connected to new experiences and creative achievements. We love exploring and pushing artistic boundaries. Before the barber shops, the tattoo shop and opening [the] music venue (The Space) on Lopez, Dylan and I would travel for work, me as a makeup artist and Dylan as a barber. We would work on movie sets in L.A. and with celebrity clients, always traveling to a new, cooler location. It was exciting and made us happy for a while. That is why we decided to merge everything we love.

With the support of family and friends, Dylan and I are combining our businesses. Soot and Bone Body Art Studio and Boutique is sharing its space with Dylan’s company, Storyboard Shop, a skate shop and music/film production studio. We will be selling punk rock-style items, street wear, skateboard items, vintage clothes, obscure art, records, crystals, tarot cards and everything else we love and make us happy, all with a high-end style. The services we will be offering include tattoos, tarot readings, music production and video/audio production.

When we are not in the shop we are going to hit the road and tour (we love DJing and hosting music events). Our jobs can go literally anywhere. Why not jump into the unknown together.

Question: What is something you cherish about the other that the other doesn’t know about?

Sara: He will always try to listen to me and tries to understand me. Dylan actually sees me; I can be imperfect and real. I can be chronically sick for long periods of time and not feel guilty.

Dylan: I cherish Sara’s unwavering commitment and loyalty. No matter how hard I try to self-sabotage, Sara always tries to understand me and stays by my side.

Question: What is a small habit that feels like a love note?

Dylan: Sara is an instinctive problem solver; she will listen and observe things, then make an effort to alleviate any pressure or stress on me. I don’t say thank you enough for how much she goes out of her way for me and makes sure things are taken care of.

Sara: When Dylan checks in on me and grabs my hand. He’s the most present person I have ever met, and when he grabs my hand and looks into my eyes and asks how I am doing, I know for that moment only I exist. Regardless of what is going on in our lives. Those check-ins have been something I really enjoy and look forward to.

Question: What is your favorite memory that gives you butterflies?

Sara: On my 30th birthday, when Dylan took my girlfriends and me to Warwick in L.A. Not only did my girlfriends get spoiled and have the best night, but Dylan and I were out and in love publicly for the first time. We danced all night. I still have videos of that night, and the way we looked at each other still gives me butterflies. We were absolutely smitten and still are.

Dylan: For me, this is a sequence of events/memories. Starting with our first home together, blending our families, adopting our first dogs together and supporting each other through grand openings and business endeavors. I know I couldn’t do any of it without her, and thinking about those things leaves me completely fulfilled.