the nordlings

Kate and Kyle first met in 8th grade while running cross country. Kyle was immediately drawn to Kate’s fun, joy-filled spirit, and eventually worked up the courage to ask her to Freshman Homecoming. From there, they became good friends and both would say "we always had so much fun," which led to their cross-country coach not so jokingly insisting they would marry each other one day. In college, they realized he was right and the friendship they had built was exactly what they wanted in a lifelong partner. After a fun-filled summer in Prior Lake, and a trip to Chicago to watch Kate run the Chicago Marathon, where they finally had their first official date, they began dating in November 2023. Over the next two and a half years, their relationship was shaped by long-distance, with semesters spent overseas and trips between Chicago and South Dakota. Through it all, their favorite part was learning to be fully present where they were, while continuing to grow together as a couple. On November 14, 2025, Kyle took Kate on a walk after work. At one point, Kate thought to herself, “This would be a great time to get engaged,” but quickly brushed it off, convinced Kyle had something planned closer to Christmas. Instead, in that very moment, Kyle told Kate he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and asked, “Katherine, will you marry me?” She said YES!