Kyler and Austyn met at ProSport Sports Performance in Orange County through mutual friends. Before Austyn left for a job in Wisconsin, a group of friends went out for drinks, bonding over craft beer and big life changes. When Kyler heard she was heading to the Midwest, he insisted she try his favorite beer, Zombie Dust, joking that if she ever found it, she’d be his favorite person forever. In 2017, Austyn moved to Los Angeles to work at UCLA. By 2019, a group text turned into a one-on-one dinner when everyone else was busy. Austyn was late, they talked all night—and haven’t stopped talking since. As Kyler’s work trips to LA increased, so did their time together, despite a very awkward “are we just friends?” phase (mostly on Austyn’s end). After a few trips and extending his stays, where things finally became clear. Austyn’s first trip up to visit Kyler was for his birthday weekend, where he was on the hook to plan. He enlisted his friend Jeremy- who orchestrated their real first date: coffee and breakfast in Livermore, wineries throughout the day, and dinner to end the night. It was perfect. That weekend, Austyn met two of Kyler’s closest friends, Mark and Stacey, who quickly became staples of their frequent Livermore visits. Throughout the year, Santa Barbara became their regular meeting place as it was relatively in between both of them, and during one trip Kyler casually asked, “Do you want to keep doing this with me?” Austyn said yes, and Kyler’s response was “cool so no returns or exchanges”, making them officially official. More trips followed, including one where Austyn finally found Zombie Dust on a Midwest work trip and surprised Kyler—officially earning her “favorite person forever” status. Then the pandemic hit. Two weeks together in the Bay turned into four months, making it clear they didn’t want to be apart. In January 2021, Austyn moved to the Bay Area to start her job at Stanford and be with Kyler full-time. After several national championship rings (for Austyn’s gymnastics teams) and plenty of patience, Kyler finally proposed on January 10, 2025—during a Stanford ring ceremony. When Austyn opened her ring box, it wasn’t a championship ring. Kyler walked in, got down on one knee, and asked, “So… Do you want to do this thing?” (Yes, from New Girl.) Austyn walked away with two rings that day. Kyler stayed for 15 minutes—then left for a hunting trip. Austyn spent her first night engaged, working late and having dinner with Kyler’s parents (If you’re wondering, the hunting was amazing that day). Pretty much sums us up—and we wouldn’t have it any other way.