Our Story | Kate

Our
Story

Ryan's Perspective:

When moving from the Air Force Academy in Colorado to Ohio, I didn’t know what to expect. Between leaving the mountains and many of my friends, and vague jokes about people being trapped in the Midwest, expectations were not high. As I settled into my house with three roommates, I quickly began developing and strengthening new friendships. I established a rhythm consisting of a lot of school, but also weekly trivia, golf, barbecues, and nights out. Still, there was no way I could have imagined how deep of a connection I would develop in Ohio, and how torn I would be moving to Texas after just a year and half.

On one of my nights out with friends we went to The Yellow Rose, which was a country line dancing bar we rarely went to. Most of my friends (myself included) have absolutely no talent for dancing so the plan was just to go, hang out, have a drink (or several) and talk. Partway through the evening, I went to take a BeReal selfie for social media that only allows me to post one photo per day. As I finished, Kate (who I didn’t know at the time) asked to be in it, but I regretfully told her it was already taken. She then asked me to be in her BeReal; I obliged and we both returned to our respective tables. My friends gave me a lot of grief for not talking to her more, and being slightly oblivious I responded that she was just being friendly. They then quickly informed me I was being an idiot. My friend Ben interceded by “bumping” me into her table and Kate and I spent the rest of the night talking as well as dancing. I probably stepped on her toes but she didn’t seem to mind. That night before we left, I made sure to get her number as well as invite her to a rodeo my friend and I were going to the next day. This inadvertently made one of them a third wheel, but all I wanted was to include Kate in everything I was doing. Soon we were constantly on FaceTime or together, and her energy and kindness allowed her to quickly assimilate into my different friend groups.

As the time for me to move to Texas approached, we decided we would continue to date despite the miles between us. So began roughly two years of Facetime calls where we were just happy to be in the same state every month or two. Although being 1500 miles away from the person you love is NOT ideal, we found ways to connect. We ‘cooked’ together where both of us made the same meal for dinner over FaceTime, played board games online, and watched movies or shows together . Ultimately we have made it a priority to spend holidays with each other’s families, and when I was in Ohio for Thanksgiving, I proposed to Kate while doing my best to hide my nerves. I could not be more thankful to have met someone as kind, caring, thoughtful, and fun as Kate and have enjoyed spending time with her family as well as hosting her with mine. I can’t wait to marry her and start our lives together in New Mexico.

Kate's Perspective:

“Ryan is amazing and wonderful and possibly the coolest person I've ever met. So clearly I'm the luckiest bride of all time.” - Ryan’s suggestion for what I write

When I met Ryan, I was in the second semester of my senior year of college, and it had never even crossed my mind that I was in a stage of life where I could meet my husband. The Yellow Rose was a favorite of mine and some of my girlfriends’ for the cheap drinks, line dancing, ~interesting~ people watching, and mechanical bull. I’d been dozens of times and never met anybody that I wanted to speak to ever again upon leaving the premises—that is until March 10, 2023. My friend, Grace, and I spotted Ryan’s group of friends fairly early on in the night and had been eying them for a while. After repeated eye contact that I thought clearly communicated, “Hey blondie, you’re cute please come and talk to me,” but probably said something more along the lines of “There must be something in that girl’s eyes, she hasn’t blinked in like three minutes,” I decided to take matters into my own hands. I saw Ryan taking a selfie and ran over to try and get in the picture and strike up a conversation. Unfortunately, Ryan also didn’t pick up on that not-so-subtle hint, but I kept with it and took my own picture with him and his friends. Even still, he let me walk away #rip. Luckily Ryan has wonderful friends that knocked some sense into him and convinced him that I was very blatantly attempting to flirt with him. Since then he hasn’t seem to be able to get rid of me. Initially it was seeing each other almost every day in those beginning stages of dating, which then phased into post grad driving down to Dayton any weekend I could to see him, and then traveling across the country every time I accrue enough PTO to take an extra long weekend.

Through all the adventures and travels, Ryan has been the most amazing partner. He goes out of his way to ensure I feel loved and cared for every single day, even from 1500 miles away. Whether it’s getting creative about long distance date nights, sending flowers to my workplace during teacher appreciation week, doordashing ice cream to my house after a rough day, writing letters, or simply a sweet text—Ryan’s compassion and drive make me fall in love with him all over again daily. I can’t wait to marry him and get to enjoy all of our adventures in a slightly less virtual manner! :)