So this is the story of how Krista and I met and fell in love! Krista usually gets on to me for adding some personal liberties and “alternate history” to our real story, but I promise this one is the truth. I had just moved back to Dallas after a chilly four years in Minnesota completing my bachelor’s degree, and I decided to attend Southern Methodist University to work on a Master of Music. My first semester there I decided to join the choir in my free time as an elective, and it was in a fall concert of 2022 when I first met her. She was walking down the stairs that I was going up with a mutual friend of ours. I don’t think she remembers this part, but I said hello to them briefly as they passed by and I headed towards the concert stage. In that brief moment, all I could help but notice was her beautiful smile and how friendly she seemed to be. I found out we had a few other mutual friends, and eventually, I figured out her name: Krista. Some time later, I came across her studying in the main atrium in our building, and after some mulling back in forth in the hallway, I finally worked up the courage to go talk to her. Immediately, Krista and I had a connection! She was thoughtful and caring, easy to talk to, and downright hilarious. For the next six months, Krista and I shared the same main group of friends and had a blast getting to know each other. We went to Tuesday night dinners as a group, football games, hikes at Katy Trail (ending at the Katy Trail Ice House), and had fun all across Dallas. On her birthday that October of 2023, we took a sunset boat ride at White Rock Lake, and I gave Krista a ride back to her apartment. That night she asked me out, I said yes, and the rest has been history! Though I was nervous at first, the two of us had so much fun it was incredible. We spent the final year of my master’s back in Dallas, then when I got the opportunity to further my studies in Colorado, she took a job in Longmont and I moved to Boulder. Since then, Krista has been by my side for good times and bad times, always looking out for me, and being the best fiancé and future wife a guy could ask for. She helps me to be a better person and to think about not just who I am, but the man I want to be. Even though the years already begin to blur over time, especially with all the fun we have together, I still remember those first moments and will always treasure how special they are in my heart. I love you Krista, Kyle