Our story begins at the Buffalo Valley Youth Association (BVYA) Ball Park back in 2014. Ryan and I were both with our dad’s set to volunteer for Opening Day. Ryan was already in the concession area when I walked in with my dad through the side door. I was 14 so this may be a little dramatic, but it was love at first sight!

We saw each other throughout the day but not a word was exchanged; just glances here and there. Once we got to the car to leave, before I even put my seatbelt on, my phone went off and I had a follow request on Instagram from, yes, the one the only, Ryan Kinkade. We went to different schools; his being Clemens and mine Steele, so we didn’t see each other at all aside from our facetime dates. We dated for about a month, which is a year at that age, before we went out separate ways. The fist boy I ever cried over; little 14-year-old me was heartbroken. Even though we dated for literally 30 days he had already given us a song, which I of course listened to on repeat for weeks! This song will be played at our first dance so stay tuned!

We ended up seeing each other again a year later at the next BVYA Opening Day when we volunteered again. Only this time we were assigned the same station, snow cones. This would have been a great comeback story if only he wasn’t already dating a cheerleader with the same name as me, rude I know. We all 3 had to suffer 4 unbearable hours together making snow cones all knowing the history that went on. Once the Day was done, we didn’t see each other at all for 9 years.

We had still followed each other on social media so we still had somewhat of an idea of where we were both at in life. While I was in my senior year at Texas State, in 2022, we started casually talking and exchanging Fortnite streams on Instagram. It didn’t take long for him to ask me on a date. About 20 minutes before he was supposed to pick me up, he texted that he had come down with something and had to reschedule our date. I wasn’t in the habit of second chances, so we stopped texting for about 4 months before we both went on vacations, his being Mexico and mine being Illinois. While in Illinois I received a call from him, I answered, very shocked at how random this was, to a whole bunch of static and muffled talking. Once he realized I was on the phone he picked it up and apologized for butt dialing me. We hung-up and that was that, I thought. He texted me about 5 minutes after the call ended making plans to get that date in that I was promised as soon as we both got back to Texas. When he came to the door to get me, I felt the same seeing him then as I did when I was 14, love at first sight. We have been inseparable since. I always joke around that Ryan fell in love with my voice on that call but really, I think it was the universe demanding that we meet again.

Fast forward to 2 years into dating and having our beautiful baby girl, Ryan took me to spot we had our 1-year date at. With the help of my parents, he planned and staged a beautiful picnic, where our families were hiding, waiting for him to pop the question. Easiest yes of my life!

My mom voluntold me that we would be at BVYA one weekend helping with opening day. So, there we are helping open, and I look up to a family walking in and see this super hot girl with her dad. The day goes by as were helping at the ballpark and nothing comes out of my mouth to her all day even as were working together. As soon as they leave, I find her on Instagram and follow here, before I could even put my phone back in my pocket she had followed me back. We started dating pretty quickly after that and fell pretty fast for each other, I even ended up giving us a song. However, after about a month together and not ever seeing each other since the school situation, we broke up. We talked maybe a little bit here and there through the year and found ourselves in the same situation that next year, except I had a girlfriend at the time. We ended up all three working the snow cone line and it was very tense. After that day we didn’t see or talk to each other for 9 years.

9 Years later we had started talking a little bit before I was about to go on vacation to Mexico. I ended up asking her to go on a date with me after I had tried to complete my scuba diving certification in one day. (Melissa Anderson can a test to how bad my ears had hurt after that day.) I ended up texting Ashley that I was unable to go, and we would have to do it another time maybe 15 minutes before I was supposed to pick her up. We didn’t talk too much after that and I ended up going to Mexico. Through out the trip we were talking and snapchatting what we were doing as she was in Illinois. I was walking back from the pool one day with my phone in my back pocket and I can hear “hello? Ryan?” I’m thinking what the hell s going on maybe I’ve had too much to drink. I pull my phone out and I had butt-dialed Ashley on snapchat. We talk through the remainder on the trip and when we got home. I then asked her on that date I promised her, we went to muck n fuss and sat at the table outside in the very front left.

As the months of dating pass, I had fallen in love with this girl so fast. She had changed my life for ever from that point on and I knew I wanted to marry her. We ended up talking about getting engaged and kind of planning out how it would go. We found out we were having a baby in March, and I’ve felt a lot of things before, but I wasn’t sure if I was going to pass out from being scared or excited. We had our beautiful baby girl November 25 of 2023. (que lion king song). We had always talked about getting engaged even before she was born, and that time had finally come. I was able to have Matt hold on to the ring as we booked a tee time for me to ask Ashleys dad for her hand. I was going to bring the ring with me to show him, but the girls came out with us to pack the truck before we were leaving so I had to leave it in his room. As soon as we got there it had started raining and I thought my plan had gone to nothing. We stuck it out and 6 holes later I had built up the courage to show her dad and ask him for his blessing. That was probably the worst I had ever golfed, but I got the okay from him and a hotdog, so it was worth it. We have been together over two years now; both my girls are the biggest blessings in my life, and I can not wait to have this family forever.