grand rapids, michigan dating during lockdown was tough, but when he sent a message saying “howdy liz 👋” (like a true texan), she knew he was special. even though his bio (on the border of comedic and creepy) said “there’s never been a more appropriate time to ask you if you want to meet me in a non-public location,” she knew she had to meet this guy. they found a restaurant (the knickerbocker) which allowed reservations for dining in and made a date. on june 9, 2020, they talked about kaleb’s overdue wisdom teeth removal, his dog, willow, and why they both chose to be vegetarians. they laughed — a lot. soon enough, the second date came around and they laughed some more over tacos (a recurrent theme) and margaritas and a nice walk (another recurrent theme). since then, they have laughed approximately 231,286 times and eaten approximately 50 tacos (at least) per person. these are approximations of course, but through their adventures in grand rapids, traverse city, austin, and dallas, they have begun to question if they have known each other a mere 20 seconds or a whole 20 years.

even though he said “i love you” first (but she was sure she loved him when he said he liked cold brew shandy — just try it), she knew she wanted to put a ring on it after she met his family and friends in his hometown of austin, texas. like austin, liz and kaleb are pretty weird. as their relationship continued, it became apparent to both of them that they were safe, happy, understood, and loved in each other’s company. they agreed to order each other matching rings and propose when the moment felt right. being the feminist she is, liz was determined to do it first. on his 25th birthday, she surprised him with a custom-made poster for ‘the lobster’ (one of his favorite movies) and a line from taylor swift’s “lover” which asks: “can i go where you go?” he said yes. a few weeks later, kaleb suprised her with a beautiful ring (with a little more bling than the matching silicone rings they had initially purchased) while they were eating outside at one of their favorite restaurants. she said yes (again).