Ryan and Avery met almost 20 years ago when she and her brother moved to Bixby school district. Ryan always claimed he became friends with Karsten for one reason: to get closer to Avery. Conveniently, that story got a lot funnier once Avery finally started dating him in January of their senior year of high school. After years of crossing paths in the same hallways, classrooms, and football games, it turned out the right timing had been waiting for them all along. From there, life seemed determined to keep pulling them side by side. They headed off to Oklahoma State University together, learning how to balance college classes, football Saturdays, late-night food runs, and the excitement of building a future neither of them fully understood yet. Somewhere between all the chaos, they became each other’s home. Of course, love stories are never complete without a little challenge. After graduation, life split them between Stillwater and Dallas. Long-distance meant countless phone calls, weekend drives, and enough “I miss you” texts to fill an entire cloud storage account. But somehow, even with miles between them, they never really felt far apart. Every goodbye just made the next hello sweeter. During that season apart, life also tested them in much bigger ways. What could have broken them only made them stronger, proving that their relationship was built on far more than convenience or timing. Together, they faced one of life’s hardest battles and together, they celebrated coming out on the other side. Eventually, the distance disappeared. Ryan and Avery made their way back to Tulsa, where they bought a house, adopted a dog as a companion for his other dog (who quickly became Avery’s as well) and settled into the kind of life they used to daydream about. Theirs isn’t a story built on grand, dramatic moments—it’s built on years of friendship, timing, loyalty, laughter, and choosing each other again and again. After settling back into life in Tulsa, Ryan popped the question on June 14, 2025, at their housewarming party surrounded by their family and friends. And now, with a home full of love, two dogs taking up too much space in the bed, and a future waiting in front of them, Ryan and Avery are still doing what they’ve always done best: growing up together. They are deeply grateful for the many wonderful people who have poured into their relationship over the years and helped it grow.