With God’s grace, we begin our forever

Erin and Kyle’s story began the way many modern love stories do — with a Hinge prompt and a little confidence. In May 2020, Erin’s profile read: “If you date me, expect me singing at the top of my lungs to every song in the car.” Kyle’s response? A simple but enthusiastic: “BET.” And somehow, that one word turned into forever.

Their first date happened in the middle of the uncertainty of 2020, after Kyle’s college sent students home due to COVID. Erin unknowingly met Kyle’s mom and stepdad before she had even officially met him as a boyfriend, and immediately felt at home with them. The two picked up sushi from Blue Sushi in downtown Omaha and ate dinner in the back of Kyle’s Jeep at the top of a parking garage while watching the sunset over the city.

That summer quickly became the beginning of something neither of them could ignore. In July, Erin and Kyle road-tripped to Moab, Utah with friends — a trip full of chaos, memories, and one particularly questionable camping attempt involving only a hammock outside of Idaho Springs. Between balancing across streams on fallen trees and Kyle protecting the group from several “bear sightings” that turned out to be false alarms, Erin realized she was completely falling in love with him. A few days later, on July 10, 2020, Kyle asked her to be his girlfriend. Not long after, Erin somehow agreed to a 12-hour road trip to Texas with Kyle and his parents after they closed on a lake house — a decision that confirmed what they already suspected: they genuinely loved doing life together.

From that first summer on, they became inseparable, spending as much time together as possible. Along the way, Kyle’s parents modeled a faith-filled marriage that quietly planted important seeds in their own relationship. In May 2022, Erin graduated college, and a few months later moved to Raleigh, North Carolina to begin her career at Cisco Systems, Inc.. Long distance for over a year tested them in all the ways distance often does, but neither ever questioned whether the relationship was worth it. They simply knew they had found their person. In October 2023, Kyle moved to Raleigh to begin his role at North Carolina State University, and the life they had spent years building between road trips, phone calls, and airport goodbyes finally came together in the same city. Together, they began prioritizing their faith more intentionally, becoming involved in church and learning what it looked like to place God at the center of their relationship. Erin’s Type-A personality and Kyle’s easygoing nature balanced one another in the best ways, softening edges and strengthening each other through every season.

By 2025, their family officially grew by four paws with the addition of Roary, their beloved dog and adventure companion. Whether hiking trails, camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains, laughing at absolutely everything, or simply spending quiet time together, life had started to feel wonderfully ordinary in the way both of them had always hoped for.

In November 2025, back home in Omaha, Kyle’s mom told the family she had Christmas presents early since Erin and Kyle would be out of the country during the holidays. As Erin opened a sweatshirt, Kyle began opening a gift box from his stepdad, Alex, containing the now iconic chicken seasoning. Kyle handed the seasoning to Erin to read, and while she stood there examining the label, he quietly pulled a ring from the same box, got down on one knee, and asked her to marry him. Surrounded by their families — including Kyle’s mom, Jill, and stepdad, Alex, his brother Chris, Erin’s mom, Maggie, and her sister Becca — Erin, still holding the seasoning in her hand, squealed with excitement and answered, “Absolutely, yes, I will!”

After years of road trips, long distance, growing faith, mountain adventures, and singing at the top of their lungs in the car, Erin and Kyle cannot wait to begin their next adventure together as husband and wife.