Sheryl Sandberg Goes Rock Climbing with Fiancé Tom Bernthal to Celebrate 2nd Anniversary of First Date
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facebook Sheryl Sandberg and Tom Bernthal
Sheryl Sandberg and Tom Bernthal are taking their love to new heights.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Sandberg, 51, revealed that she and her fiancé recently went "off the grid" to go rock climbing in honor of the second anniversary of their first date.
Sharing photos from the outdoor excursion, the Facebook COO wrote, "Over the past year, I challenged myself to find some new hobbies - and a few months ago, I shocked myself by trying rappelling for the first time and loving it."
"So to celebrate, Tom and I descended 1200 feet by 7 rappels and some downclimbing (a fancy name for sliding down rocks on your butt). Then we climbed back up via ferrata (scrambling up a steep rock face with an iron ladder)," she continued.
facebook Sheryl Sandberg, Tom Bernthal
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According to Sandberg, she was a "super unathletic kid - completely uncoordinated, suffered from asthma, picked last on every team" growing up, so she initially "could not believe" that she would be able to rock climb.
"Here's to hobbies - new and old. To adventure. To finding the strength to do things you didn't think you could do," she wrote.
The Lean In author concluded her post with a sweet nod to her fiancé, writing, "And here's to love - new and old."
"Tom - thank you from the bottom of my heart for two years of bringing love and adventure into my life," she added.
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Sandberg starting dating Bernthal — the founder and CEO of the Los Angeles-based strategic consulting agency Kelton Global — in 2019 after they were set up by the brother of her late husband Dave Goldberg, who died in 2015 after suffering a heart attack while on vacation in Mexico.
The couple got engaged in February 2020 after a mountain hike and picnic lunch at Vermejo Park Ranch in New Mexico, a source close to the couple told PEOPLE at the time.
"They took a hike together on their very first date, so they recreated the moment and got engaged at the end of a long hike this past weekend," the insider said.
Bernthal, 48, popped the question with a ring featuring five tiny hidden diamonds underneath the setting to represent each of their five children. (Sandberg has a son and a daughter, while Bernthal is father to three children.)
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Sandberg opened up about finding love after her husband's death in a recent letter to Bernthal published by Good Housekeeping, sharing, "When Dave died, I could barely imagine dating again, much less getting married."
However, according to the tech mogul, her former brother-in-law Rob Goldberg "had a different idea" and "just knew" she had to meet Bernthal.
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"When I shook your hand for the first time, I had no clue that you would be the one to change my life," Sandberg wrote to Bernthal. "I'd soon come to discover in much bigger ways your remarkable generosity and warmth as a partner and parent."
While Sandberg admitted that she was "so tired before" Bernthal came along, together the couple have found a new path forward, "one filled with so much gratitude and optimism."
"In that spirit, thank you for helping me refocus my energy on what's important and more fully appreciate all of life's gifts — every sweet text, every birthday party celebration and, yep, all 8,000 of those Settlers of Catan games."
