We met in my parents' garage; he answered an ad for a bass player. He said his name, and later, when I introduced him to my dad, I couldn't remember. To my dad, I said "This is Eric, no, Garett?" Kyle quickly corrected me, saying "Kyle, but just call me Friske." I couldn't' get over the pun in his name, and in a couple of weeks, I was referring to him as "the lady feeler." The band went on. We practiced, played shows, and carpooled. We started spending time together as friends, and I really looked forward to our "band dates." One night, we made plans to go see our friends in Rockalypse. Travis and I danced. After the dance, one of us suggested that we wait for the next slow song and make a "Friske Sandwich." We did. A minute into the song, Travis sat down, and I was dancing with Friske alone. It was awkward. I could tell he was as uncomfortable as I was. I wondered why it was so awkward. He's Friske; we're friends. I've danced with friends before. Time went on, and more bands were seen. One night, I went to his house. We drank and talked for hours. We stayed up all night, and I had an amazing time. We continued to spend time together. Sully, our guitar player at the time, finally asked, "so are you guys, like, boyfriend and girlfriend now, or what?" Kyle, without hesitation, said yes. We've been inseparable ever since (except hunting season). There wasn't ever a "wow" moment that made me know that I loved Kyle or that I wanted to marry him. I only know that it wasn't very long into our relationship that I knew both things. Words cannot describe how grateful and lucky I feel that Kyle is in my life. He is an amazing, kind, and selfless person. He treats my girls like they are his own, and he has grown to be a wonderful parent to them. I know that he loves them, and they love in return. Kyle has made me feel so cherished and loved, and I do my best to make him feel the same. He's my favorite pumpkin, and I look forward to forever every day.

Like most modern-day love stories, ours starts on the internet. Thanks to the amazing technical tool of tomorrow, I was able to find the love of my life. It turns out we didn’t need to find each other through a poke on Facebook, random luck on Match.com or by “swiping right” on Tinder. Our story begins on bandmix.com, a site to connect musicians looking for that last member of an almost complete band. I responded to an ad for a bass player. I didn’t realize it at the time, but on May 25, 2013 I met the woman who I would someday call my wife. Fast-Forward over a year, and I find myself falling for the singer of that band. We always had a blast together. After shows we’d find ourselves staying up even later after an already late night talking. Sometimes it would be watching the sun come up listening to guitarist Sully’s endless stories about Zakk Wylde and Fords. Other times it would be going out to watch, support and dance to live music in the area. We found excuses to be near each other because we enjoyed each other’s company. When we started dating, I always knew something was special about my future wife. She was so easy to talk to and be myself around. We were friends first, and that makes the perfect foundation upon which to build a life-long relationship. Now over three years into this incredible relationship we’ve grown together more than I’d ever thought possible. The running joke is that we have the same brain. Often we have the same idea or comment moments before the other. Our brains thought it would be a good idea to take the next step and say “I Love You”. As every relationship milestone came, our “same brain” knew where we were heading. On October 6th, 2018, we celebrate the start of our forever. I am so grateful this story is my story and that Kay is my future wife. She is smart, funny, beautiful, and caring. She is a total rockstar in every aspect of life. I am blessed to call her my best friend, and I can’t wait to see her on our special day.