Kyle and Kristin first met using the dating app "Tinder" and had agreed to go on a date at Cooper's on 5th in West Des Moines' Valley Junction neighborhood in September 2020. Upon walking up to the restaurant with their masks on, Kristin noticed Kyle had a space themed mask on, so she knew he must be somewhat nerdy, but he was also able to not take himself so seriously. Kyle's first impression of Kristin was that she liked to talk a lot, but Kristin will tell you that's just because she wanted to avoid any awkward pauses that come with a first date. From that first date they continued going out or staying in to cook with one another. In cooking together, they realized: Kyle really appreciates following recipes to each instruction, whereas Kristin would look through the ingredient list, see the picture of the dish and just "wing it" from there. It created a lot of laughs and became an environment where they could talk about their day and exchange stories about one another. Kristin and Kyle officially became "boyfriend and girlfriend" on January 15, 2021 when Kristin realized she was meeting Kyle's twin sister Kailey, and she wanted to know how Kyle was going to introduce her to Kailey. Was she just his friend? Was she his girlfriend? If you know Kyle, you can imagine the amount of eye rolling that ensued to avoid blushing and admitting his feelings. From there on, Kyle and Kristin spent their holidays and family events together, introducing their counterpart to their respective family members. Kyle had to get used to the five and half hour drive to and from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, while Kristin had to get acclimated to the small-town Iowa farmland Kyle came from. Kristin and Kyle's relationship, while only three years long at this point, has been one filled with so many joyous moments and celebrations. Such moments include celebrating the birth of Kyle's nephew, all of their nieces' and nephew's birthdays, get togethers with friends and family at Bucs Hockey games, Iowa State basketball and football games, taking vacations to Chicago, Lake of the Ozarks and Hawaii, and attending the Harry Potter in Concert event each winter in Des Moines. They feel incredibly blessed and lucky to have one another for these happy memories. However, despite all of these wonderful moments and experiences, their relationship has not been void of hardships. Aside from the regular arguments and hard conversations couples go through, they also experienced health scares on both sides of their families, and most tragically, had to endure the unexpected passing of Kristin's mother, Barbara Molloy, in April 2023. Their relationship has already faced some of life's toughest circumstances that spouses can be tested in, and have come out of them stronger in their commitment to one another and in their understanding of one another. Now for the engagement story. The quick version of it is Kyle had asked Mike and Barb for their blessing, the day after Christmas 2022. His original plan was to propose on Easter Sunday 2023, but because of Barb's tragic passing and funeral, those plans had to be delayed. He thought the next best opportunity would be in July 2023 while they were in Kona, Hawaii for Kristin's cousin's wedding. Two days after the wedding, and right before Mike had to catch a flight to Oahu, Kyle and Mike schemed a way to surprise Kristin. Despite having no voice from being sick, Kristin had no problem saying yes. Kristin and Kyle are very eager to promise themselves to one another and hope you can celebrate with them come November. Their future together is very bright and they hope you can be a part of it!