Laura and Kyle met as animation majors at CSU Chico, where Laura noticed Kyle sitting alone and thought, no way someone that handsome should be by himself. Their friendship grew through shared creativity and quirky humor, and after a few early dating attempts and time apart, they reconnected before graduation and something special took root. A while after college, Laura moved to Auburn while Kyle remained in Redding. Once they realized how close they were, they picked things back up like no time had passed. Weekend visits soon turned into building a life together. Kyle proposed during a foggy walk on College Cove Beach. After a redwood adventure and some banana slug spotting, he set up a camera for “photos” and surprised Laura by dropping to one knee. She said yes. Now they live in Redding, where Laura teaches ceramics and Kyle works in IT for the same school district, sometimes sharing Friday lunches. Their home is full of love and animals, including cats Poptart and Squirrel, Marceline the ball python, Godzilla the leopard gecko, and Chalupa the horse, with plans to grow their herd by one more horse. They recently bought their first home, where Kyle dreams of perfecting recipes in their beautiful new kitchen and future pizza oven, while Laura fills the space with art, critters, and joyful chaos. For their honeymoon, they’ll visit Kyle’s family in Japan and look forward to a creative, adventure-filled future together.