In October of 2012, Lesley began working at Olive Garden in Tuscaloosa, AL where Tyler had been employed for just over a month. Tyler's sarcasm and Lesley's understanding (and forgiving) sense of humor instantly sparked a connection and friendship between the two. In December of 2013, the friendship began to blossom into the start of a love story. Lesley is the one who first shared that she had a romantic interest in Tyler. Tyler later attempted to ask Lesley out for a date on two separate occasions which didn't quite work out. The two demonstrated a patience and perseverance with each other in this time which has carried on throughout the course of their relationship.

When I first met Lesley, I was a sophomore at the University of Alabama and working at Olive Garden. She was the awkward girl that, for some reason, always seemed to be looking my way at work. Occasionally all the employees would go out for drinks and food. Slowly but surely, I found myself talking to Lesley more and more. Drinks and food turned into long talks lasting late into the morning. Our relationship began after my several attempts of asking her on official dates. I once stated I was going to a restaurant hinting for her to come along, and Lesley replied with, “Let me know how it is!” Another time, I asked if she wanted to see “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” and she replied with, “Oh, I never saw the first one.” To this day, her awkwardness has not stopped. When I graduated in 2015, I moved to Indianapolis for my job and to be close to family. This was a trying time as we could hardly talk due to our conflicting schedules. We relied on texting. I visited Tuscaloosa after only 2 months away. It had felt like 2 years. This is when I knew Lesley was the one. In May of 2016, I asked Lesley to be my wife. She and Kam moved to Indiana so we could all be together. I worked from 12:30 to 11:00 at night. Coming home, I would find Lesley asleep on the couch with dinner in the kitchen both waiting for me. We had a lot of fun in Indiana, but we both jumped at the opportunity to move back to Alabama. I could be close to many friends, the university, and warmer weather. She could be close to her family and school. Kamdyn is happy as can be here. It all came together perfectly just like Lesley, Kam, and I. I am marrying Lesley as she is my best friend, the love of my life, and my soulmate. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for the 3 of us. Some stressful times have been completely worth it for Kam, Lesley, and I. Once Lesley finishes school, we will make our long-term decision as to where we want to raise our family. For now, we are enjoying every moment together.

I met Tyler when I started working at Olive Garden in Tuscaloosa. I thought he was just the most handsome thing in the world, but I can’t express how much I was not looking to date/seek a relationship at that time. I vividly remember the first time I saw Tyler. I headed for a computer to clock in, but Tyler was using it so I waited behind him. He turned around and I just noticed a big Band-Aid on his face. He had clearly cut himself shaving and I thought “oh no, he’s adorable.” He made a face, sighed, and walked away without a word. I remember thinking there was just something about the guy, but I couldn’t place it. The employees became a tight-knit group of friends who spent a lot of time together outside of work. Oftentimes, Tyler and I were both present for outings. His sense of humor was significantly compatible with mine, so I think that’s where we clicked and still do today. We became buddies, and I ended up sharing with a mutual friend that I had a little crush on Tyler. That news naturally made its way back to him. He would then attempt to make conversation with me, and I would panic and run away. I felt how awkward I was being, but I also couldn’t stop it. He later joked that I was a “scurrier.” We started a relationship that has worked well with us having developed a friendship first. I love Tyler because he is my safe place where I can laugh, cry, vent, or seek advice. I love him because he is smart, strong-willed, and opinionated. I love him because of the way he loves and cares for our Kam. He has a way of cheering me up, supporting me, and encouraging me to be the best version of myself. I still look at him and see my best friend. I also see the love of my life and the man I’ll grow old with. We've endured hard times, but at the end of the day, loving him is easy. So looking back on that day at work when I thought there was something about this huffy-puffy guy with a goofy Band-Aid on his face, I now realize that I was looking at my future husband.

It was an ordinary day in Indianapolis, IN where the couple resided while Tyler went through FC Academy. Lesley came home from work to a beautifully set table boasting a steak dinner, cab wine spritzer (her favorite), candles, music, and banana crème pie. Tyler led Lesley to believe this was "just because." When she thought she couldn't be any more flattered, Lesley looked up to find that Tyler was down on one knee asking her to be his wife. She excitedly said yes before he could finish his spiel. It was a special, intimate proposal shared between just the two of them.