Single Mom Hung Around Her Kids' School for Days to Meet Cute Single Dad: 'I Couldn't Take My Eyes Off Him'

Dorilee Lavin shared her story of finding love with her now-husband Sean in a viral TikTok

Two divorced single parents found love again — in the parking lot of their kids' school.

Mom-of-three Dorilee Lavin first laid eyes on her now-husband Sean Lavin at her son's ultimate frisbee game, and recalled feeling a "magnetic draw" to him. "I couldn't take my eyes off him," she tells PEOPLE.

"He was pure masculine, divine energy. I felt grounded just looking at him. A tall, bearded brunette who looked like he knew how to build anything — not typical for the very clean-cut Patagonia town we live in," adds Dorilee, who lives in Shelburne, Vermont.

Thinking Sean was a dad of a kid on the opposing team, she didn't expect to ever see him again. However, just days later, she spotted him at her kids' school, walking hand-in-hand with his two daughters. "I realized he was in the same town and I had to introduce myself," she recalls, explaining that she then spent eight days "hanging around" the school waiting for an opportunity to say hello.

She shared her mission to meet the "hot dad" in a now-viral TikTok video where she answers the question, "What's the craziest thing you've ever done when you had a crush on someone?"

Finally, the moment arrived, and Dorilee introduced herself to Sean in the parking lot — but she found herself flustered and missed the chance to give him her phone number. "It was an embarrassing moment demonstrating that I had no game," Dorilee jokes.

Sean, however, was one step ahead of her. After their brief conversation, he asked a staff member at their kids' afterschool program for Dorilee's number and immediately texted her. They made plans for a first date on June 17, 2023, at Shelburne Pond, where they kayaked and fished.

Dorilee remembers the date being "a little awkward" at first due to nerves. "We were both interested, but had reservations about how to move forward. The conversation felt a little reserved even though it was free-flowing, and a lot of connections were made," she tells PEOPLE.

At that point in time, they had both been divorced for six years and had both recently ended four-year relationships.

Related: Single Mom Surprised by Daughters with Stunning Wedding Dress Photo Years in the Making

Dorilee left that first date feeling a little uncertain, but had driven only half a mile down the road when she got a text message from Sean inviting her to go on a hike the next day.

"That is the day when I knew I was going to love him — the second date. On the second date, there were no masks or nerves like on the first," she says.

Their morning hike then segued to lunch at Sean's house, followed by a cribbage game and a long evening spent talking. "The date lasted about eight hours. We were inseparable from that night," Dorilee remembers.

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The pair got engaged just two months later on Aug. 26. "We started talking marriage and even wedding plans by a month's time," she says of their whirlwind romance. "I never called him my boyfriend. I called him my person. He never called me his girlfriend. I was always his future wife."

Just 47 days after their first date, Sean went to a local jeweler, where he designed a custom ring for Dorilee. "Five stones on each side represent the five kids we have [between us]. The center-cut stone shows our easy love, and it's made by two people with softened edges — two princess halos," she explains of the ring's sentimental details.

Dorilee and Sean tied the knot on Oct. 6, and they now share a beautifully blended family with their kids, who range in age from 7 to 15 years old.

"The blending was so effortless in the beginning. The kids always wanted to spend time together," Dorilee says.

"Yes, they bicker about who sits in the middle row for car rides — but that's it for arguing. And man, am I glad I bought a seven-seater! We are at max capacity," she jokes.

As for Sean, Dorilee says she loves the "ease" that comes with being married to him. "It may sound corny, but to simply come home and sink into one of his hugs and wrap my arms around him and feel that charge and exchange of energy, it's grounding," she tells PEOPLE.

Related: After 17 Years of Marriage - and a Divorce - Couple Surprise Daughters by Remarrying: 'Successful Parent Trap' (Exclusive)

After her experience as a single mom searching for love, Dorilee has advice for other single parents out in the dating world. In her opinion, it's all about having a positive mindset.

"What you put out into the universe is what's returned to you. If you put out hope and positivity, you are keeping yourself open to the possibility of love," she explains. "On the flip side, if you say, 'Why doesn't that ever happen to me? or 'that will never happen to me' or 'it's only amount of time before it turns to s---, that's what you'll get — either nothing or s---."

She also suggests spending time considering what an ideal relationship would look like for you. "Write out a list of characteristics in the partner that you want. Once you know this, you will be able to recognize when someone meets your most wanted desires," she says.

"The hard part is to walk away if they don't, out of fear that your hopes are out of reach. People underestimate how hard that part is," she adds. "But have trust in yourself, your wants and the universe listening."

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