My roommate was hosting a dinner at our house and I arrived later because of a prior commitment. I walked into the house to the smell of shrimp and grits and the sound of laughter and conversation. I knew a couple of people there, but had not yet met one of the men present. I was introduced to Andrew. Later on in the evening as some were sitting at the table playing games I set about to clean up the kitchen and enjoy the pleasant atmosphere. I was joined by none other than Andrew. We talked travel, construction, and spiritual goals. By the end of the evening I knew he was someone who I wanted to get to know better. Came to find out he felt the same way: as if the two hugs goodbye was not a good enough hint!

Andrew did not ask for my number that Saturday night that we met, but just a few days later on Tuesday afternoon my phone rang. It was a mutual friend, also Andrew, asking if he could give Andrew my number (not confusing to the story at all, I know). I said yes and received a text from Andrew the next day. We went back and forth all day and from there the conversation never stopped. The date that he OFFICIALLY asked me out was when we had our first phone call on November 7, 2023. Looking back at the text messages though, it is clear that Andrew had been shooting his shot since October 25, 2023.

A group of friends was organized to go to San Francisco to watch the Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse in Concert. Jayd extended the invitation and it just so happened that Andrew was also going to be there. We had already been texting back and forth and knew that we wanted to get to know each other better, so it was a nice opportunity to see each other again. We went to the theater and afterwards the group made its way to Berkeley to a food pod. We each got a little something, shared with one another and talked. We didn't end up getting back to Richmond until almost midnight. It was some of the best fun I had had in a while and even more special to share it with Jayd and Nikaela.

We were *screeching halt* Hi, this is the non-confusing Andrew. For y'all who don't know, this is Andrew Number 2, who made himself Number One in Kyra's heart. So far it's been mostly love and butterflies and rainbows. I have come here to tell you the truth! We were on a date in Sacramento with Jeanette, Meghan, and Enzo. We had dinner at Pizzasaurus Rex and Kyra had a few other places in mind to take us. Ginger Elizabeth's for chocolate, then a retro video game shop. At that moment in time, Stardate 11299.5, I knew I wanted to spend eternity with my ashal-veh.

In only two and a half months I had come to realize he really was the one I wanted to spend my life with. I was continually struck by his manner and how caring he was to the friends and myself. I knew that he was a special person and was coming to truly love his company and personality. It really hit me when we went to the Legion of Honor in San Francisco with the Larrys, Gardners, and Jayd. There was a special exhibit we wanted to see and so we piled into the van and headed to San Francisco for the afternoon. It was a rainy day and our day had not gone totally according to plan, but we made it to the museum and got to explore, taking out time to appreciate the art. When it was time to leave it was suggested to us that we take a couple photos outside. We were game since the rain had let up a bit, so we posed in front of the glass feature outside the front door. Standing there in the drizzle and laughing together I knew I wanted to spend forever with him.

We were visiting Monterey Bay Aquarium with a group of friends. Jeanette had never been before, so we made the plan to visit months in advance. As the date drew closer we invited other dear friends, the Melazzos, and the Salazars. We all met up at the aquarium and explored each of the exhibits from the Kelp Forest with wolf eels and anchovies to Into the Deep with the jellyfish. It was a gorgeous day out and we loved looking at the different fish and enjoying one another's company. Eventually we went up to the second floor observation deck of the Open Sea exhibit. There, backlit by the stingrays, sharks, and turtles Andrew proposed. I, of course, said yes! What an amazing day it was.