It was 1991. We were proud, enthusiastic freshmen at North Central College attending freshman orientation & ready to change the world. Many of us were experiencing a sense of independence for the first time. I remember scurrying around trying to get my bearing and being concerned about "staying focused in College." :-). Somewhere during freshman orientation, I ran into calm, cool, and collected Kevin Payne (KP). I thought he was a handsome "chocolate drop" from the very beginning. Kevin was charismatic, kind, and a true gentleman. Even then, he was an old soul who stood out in the crowd. He moved with precision and intentionality, both figuratively and literally. I remember thinking, "Oh, he's a talker." And "Oh, he's a thinker." He was quite inquisitive. We were freshmen, and he was so deep! He would peer into the soul with those beautiful eyes & he had questions- many questions. Listen, my little freshman soul wasn't ready to be tested by those "freshman eyes" or by his inquisitiveness....not even if all he wanted was friendship. So, I tried to stay clear of KP as much as possible until the one pivotal evening (still in our freshman year) while he and I were working in the North Central College Admissions Office. We were student workers tasked to contact prospective high school students who had completed college interest cards. KP came into the dimly lit office where I was working. He sauntered over to the desk where I was sitting, and after a little "small talk," he smoothly said something like… "I'd like to get to know you better." I glanced upwards into those brown eyes… trying to read him and wondering what his angle was. {He liked me.} And you know what? I ran away as fast as I could that evening. I don't even remember what I said, but I bolted.. & for years to come, I avoided him and his questions at every turn.. only to find myself reconnected with him through funny messages on Facebook in 2019.

After seeing each other here and there throughout the years, Kevin and I actually reconnected in 2019, and, shortly after that, we began dating. On July 6, 2022, in Cancun, Mexico, as we stood on the oceanfront under the light of the moon & stars (& the lights of the pirate ships that sat on the ocean)... I answered one of the most important questions of our lives together. Kevin asked me to spend the rest of my life with him as his wife, and I said... YES!! Y'all, I have gladly given in… given in to those beautiful eyes and that amazingly caring heart that uncovers the best parts of me. Our inside joke is that he was like Jason (from the movies)... He was steady, watching, listening, and waiting - oftentimes beating me to the very location that I was running towards. That's it... that's our story. ❤️

North Central College (NCC), never heard of the place until I heard of the place. There I was freshman year amongst new faces, new places, and new races. Hmmm.. new races, little did I know that theme would have such a place in this story. I was never one to sit still for long, There was always something to do and somewhere to be. This characteristic unfortunately didn't leave much room for social activity. Freshman orientation tour day was no different. We were to meet in front of the cafeteria, which happened to be right next to the freshman girl's dormitory. Although the tour was needed, as it would have been good to see the other freshman in my class, my only real focus was getting to football practice after the tour. Then I saw her. She was standing next to a group of girls that I had already met. However, this one definitely was not in my first go-round of "meet and greets." As we toured, I made mental notes of how she walked, how she moved, & most importantly, how many times I could catch her smiling. The explanation of the criteria and its order is for another story, but just know she checked the boxes. I had to figure out a way to get more of that smile in my presence. Here comes the "all I do is win, win, win no matter what." How would I get to know her? How would I get to see her? If you knew me then and know me now, you know some things just don't change. With all my schedules, "how would I accomplish this task?" Well, wouldn't you know, work, the one thing I always seem to do a lot of would be the very thing that would provide me with the opportunity. Although the details of how and why I was asked to work in the admissions office (after hours) are a bit foggy, it doesn't really matter. The point is that this was the opportunity I needed. Working in admissions would require calling prospective high school seniors - helping them make a decision about possibly attending NCC. This position was offered to a group of us, and of course, she was in this group. It didn't take much thought for me to accept the position. What better opportunity could there be? I could contribute to increasing the minority population on campus, make a little coin and have her smile in my presence. I told yall, "...all I do is win win win no matter what!" As the weeks went by, I paid attention to the evenings she would be at work. I made sure I was at work on those days as best I could. The lowly lit work environment created the perfect relaxed talk atmosphere. Of course, I would take my opportunity to watch her smile as she talked to prospective students. This was the time to strike up conversations about high school, music, sports, class schedules, the campus, etc., and so I did. Week after week, I talked and listened and listened and listened some more. It didn't take me long to realize this beautiful girl that sat across from me at work didn't realize just how special she was. It was time for me to let her know and keep letting her know. I got to work this night, making sure I was there before her so that I could watch her walk in. The plan was going well. She walks in, says hi with a smile, and grabs her small box of index cards containing prospective seniors' contacts. I waited for the perfect opportunity to do what I was there to do by the end of the night. After she finished with one particular call, I began to tease her about flirting with the prospects over the phone. Of course, she would deny doing such a thing; however, it would keep her smiling and blushing as we went back and forth. Now was the time. She was smiling, she was laughing, we were talking, and this was the green light. I left the room briefly to put away my contact cards. I returned, and I walked directly over to her knowing my intent. I sat on the edge of her desk. With no lines, no gimmicks, just direct and honest, I said, "I think we should get to know each other better." Well, the rest is history. SHE SAID NO, and JASON WAS BORN!

She said no. While I was a young King, I was not quite ready to be the LION KING. I was nothing more than a SIMBA that had been run away from and left in the dead land. I'm sure it would be nice to liken this story to a Disney feel good but THIS AINT THE LION KING! I didn't have the heart to run the chase race. I didn't want to press, then I saw her less, then I saw here none, then she was gone. She had run all the way away from me and left me no choice but to walk. Where are my Friday the 13th people? If you are familiar with Jason, he's a patient ole chap I tell ya. Jason studies your movement pattern and when he is ready to come to get you, he walks and simply does what he does. No matter how much a person runs, he simply keeps walking, and before you know it he has you. Here it is, 19 years of walking, and there I spot her again. My eyes light up, She looks just as beautiful as the last time I remember seeing her. She doesn't see me, but people rarely see Jason until he is up on you. In front of the Mooooo and Oink, I approach and say " Tamiko"! She looks up, and with a gorgeous smile she says, "heeey"! I move in for a hug, and she gives me the church hug (yall know the CHURCH hug stops playin) and then spins off again. With very few words, she had run away again. 9 more years of walking and guess who is back. It's early 2019 and guess who has returned? Now it was time for a different plan. Now it was time to watch with my ears and not with my eyes. For those that are unfamiliar, that's what is known as listening. After months of watching with my ears, it was time to let her know I was coming for her. As she recognizes I am coming for her, yes you guessed it, she turned and began to run. As the years went by, she would periodically look back to see if I was still behind her. I was. 3 more years of walking led to the night of July 6, 2022. There we stood on the deck overlooking the water decorated with reflections of light from the pirate ship and Cancun resorts. I asked her some questions about our past moments together. As she turned her head away to jog her memory, by the time she turned back around, Jason was standing in front of her. He had captured her. SHE SAID…YES! 30 years of walking, patient ole chap now isn't he?

Thank you so much for indulging us by reading our very colorful stories. If you are visiting our website on your phone, be sure to click on the three horizontal lines in the left-hand corner for the dropdown menu to meet our wedding party and see some additional videos and photos. ***We will be sharing pertinent information regarding our nuptials through our website. We appreciate your love and support and hope you enjoy the website. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! #KickingItWithThePaynes #AnythingForLove