TYLER:

Brie wouldn’t remember it, but I actually saw her perform once with an ensemble at UArts. I was either there to practice mixing audio for a class or supporting a friend, but she was there and singing. My first thought was, “What an incredible voice”, followed swiftly by “She’s WAY out of my league, I would have no chance”. Of course like many other times in my life, I’d be wrong about that. In our senior year, final semester, fate would have it that we both decided to take a mixing workshop class. Even though it was over Zoom, you could feel the chemistry through the pixels (looking at each others’ portraits on a screen). She made a single comment that I could interpret to mean that she didn’t hate me, and I took a chance and reached out to ask her on a date.

BRIE:

Fall of 2016, I left behind my humble Mississippi roots for a big city college in Philadelphia. I was supposed to graduate in 2020, but after changing my major and a worldwide pandemic hitting, I ended up joining the graduating class of 2021; the very same year as a handsome, talented guy named Tyler.

I often wonder how we missed each other while at college. Did I see him around campus? Had I ever talked to him and not known it? Did we really never cross paths? That was until the pandemic hit and we were all on Zoom classes, trying to graduate virtually. I knew that I would need some help learning how to mix and master the audio for my Virtual Senior Recital so I took a chance on that Mixing class I’d always wanted to take.

I remember the first day of class there was this guy named Tyler Trexler with a long beard and long hair who was talking about how he was creating a binaural microphone at home for his Senior Project. I was extremely impressed by how smart and talented he was. And even though it was hard to see over Zoom, I could tell he had kind, beautiful eyes.

Well, throughout the rest of the semester, I would start to find myself more and more interested in this quirky, cute guy in my mixing class. At some point during the semester, he cut his hair and beard and showed up looking totally different. I would come to find out this is the norm for Mr. Trexler.

One day I hopped on Zoom class, excited to get to see my crush, but he was late, which was unusual for him. Our professor was joking about how we wouldn't be able to start class with Tyler missing. I was thinking the same thing! I was disappointed not to get to see him, but he hopped on a moment later. I was so happy that I couldn't help myself from sending over a little encouraging message to say "Tyler's the MVP, we can't start class without him".

We started chatting a little after that on Instagram. He posted about his new album that was coming out and I made a silly post one night while I was up late working on my Recital. I posted a picture of an action figure on eBay from the Anime, Akira. Tyler replied and after some flirty chatting, he asked me to go out for whiskey with him sometime.

And after that first date, 05/05/2021, I knew my life would never be the same.

TYLER:

It was early, I mean within the first date there was an indescribable pull. Nothing you could label “love”, at least not yet. We would see each other as often as possible while juggling things in life, like work and the hectic time of graduating and moving into the working world. Sometime within those first two months it just clicked. Like the feeling of finally thinking of the word that’s been on the tip of your tongue, it just felt right. We officially told each other on a trip to the Poconos that we took with friends at the end of July. We snuck away for a brief moment (I think it was to do laundry actually), and told each other how we felt. 2 years later I would ask her to marry me.

BRIE:

There was something so special about him from the first time we started talking. I remember telling my sister, Erikka, about this cute guy in my class and trying to brush off my crush by saying I was just ‘intrigued’ by him. Meanwhile, Erikka was rolling her eyes at me knowing I was totally into this guy.

We started talking and right away I felt so giddy and excited about him. I felt all those classic butterflies that people talk about in stories and movies.

Our first date finally came and we spent the whole night just talking and laughing and listening to music and watching anime; all the while, I couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear as I could feel that this new relationship was different. He was something truly special.

So, I suppose it’s hard to say when I knew I was in love with him because part of me feels like I knew he was gonna be the one from that first date. But, I was only able to really admit it to myself and say it out loud in July of 2021. We were out in the Poconos on a trip with our friends and I couldn’t hold it in. I pulled Tyler off to the side on our last night of the trip and told him that I was in love with him and he just grinned and said that he knew and that he loved me too.

TYLER:

Anyone who knows me knows that I can be impatient at times, so this plan was revised as time went on. You can only keep a ring a secret for so long, right? As I mentioned in the last question, Brie and I confessed our love to each other on July 31st, 2021. On July 31st of 2023, I took her on a picnic to the nearby Oakbourne Park. There we would devour some Jersey Mike’s for lunch, before she would attempt to rush off to my parents’ house for the pool day we originally planned. I asked her to wait, and to just reminisce with me for a few minutes. I mentioned that two years ago was that historic moment in our relationship, and that I’d really enjoyed our time together. I told her that we could finally go, so while she stood up and turned around to put her shoes back on, I grabbed the ring and she turned around to see me on one knee. I asked her to marry me, and she shakily let out those words everyone wants to hear when proposing: “oh my god, are you serious??”. I guess for someone who tells a lot of jokes, I had that one coming. But she did accept in the end!

BRIE:

I’ll let Tyler tell you how he proposed. He went first, but we had talked about the prospect before and I had opened up the option of me proposing, too. We agreed that he would get the first chance, so I waited until he was ready and then it was my turn.

I wanted to take him back down memory lane for my proposal. I got him to drive us into Philly for a night and we got wings and cider at our favorite pub of all time, Moriarty’s. We reminisced about all our times spent there throughout our relationship and then we took a walk past Tyler’s old apartment.

We walked up the steps to the front door and I told him to wait there so I could reenact the way we first met in person. So I walked down the street to him at the door, knelt down on the front steps, and asked him to marry me, too. Hint: he said yes!

TYLER:

Brie and I spend our days together (most days) as we both get to work from home a few days a week, and we work in the same office room. When the work day ends, we typically throw together something for dinner, or make use of the local eateries if the incoming calls have left us with no energy every now and then. We love to get ingredients from the Amish Market, and fresh meat and produce go a long way to make a great meal. When we go out, we love to try various cuisines, from Indian and Asian to the Stone Tavern down the road serving classic pub food. Date nights typically take us to fun spots such as Round 1, a combined bowling alley, pool hall, karaoke lounge and arcade. We’ve also enjoyed going to the movies lately, and have seen quite a few in the last few months at the theater in Downingtown. On nights that we stay in, we will sometimes cuddle up with our two cats Joan and Freyja for a movie on the couch, or more often than not, we’ll adventure together in video games in our office, which turns into the game room when the work day is done.

BRIE:

Throughout our relationship, we have lived a bunch of lifestyles, but our life right now is my favorite so far.

We have a cozy apartment in West Chester, PA with our two kitties Joan and Freyja.

We have a pretty cool 2nd bedroom in our apartment that we converted into a Game/Music Room with guitars, keyboards, synths, and microphones on one side and two gaming PC set-ups with a bookshelf full of Manga and Comic Books on the other side. So, between that room and our Ghibli-themed living room full of novels and TV shows/movies, we spend a lot of time gaming, reading, watching movies, and playing music together.

Then when we get stir crazy from being in the house too much, we get out and go on little adventures around town. We love to go get coffee or Boba Tea and walk around a park or bookshop and find little cute new places to visit.

What I love most about our life together is how easy and peaceful it feels to have him by my side. No matter what kind of day I am having, seeing Tyler and spending time with him makes me a happier gal. There’s nothing more I could ask for in a partner.

TYLER:

Ideally in a home that we’ll call home for many years! Not only us, but if everything goes well, hopefully we’ll have some little tyke running (carefully) around the house, maybe chasing a cat. We would both love a home with all our local amenities and community, without worrying downstairs neighbors that smoke multiple packs of cigarettes per day. I plan to continue my career in the IT/Tech field, and will hopefully see myself rise to new positions and opportunities over the coming decade to fill my career with purpose and knowledge. I would also love for us to get back to playing more music, and to start performing locally, as I’m sure there are plenty of places nearby that would love live music. Above all, in 10 years I can only hope to love life as much as I love living it right now. And I know that with Brie by my side, I’ll cherish every day.

BRIE:

2033, huh? That number looks wild to me right now, but I’m excited about our future together.

By that time, I will be in my mid-to-late 30s. I hope that by then we have found the home of our dreams.

I hope we are happy in our little home, wherever it is, and that we like our neighbors. I think we will have one or two kids and we will always have animals. I’d say we will have 2-3 cats, a nice fish tank, and maybe a reptile of some sort; Bearded Dragon, perhaps?

I think we will still be making music together and sharing that love of music with our kid(s). I think that we will still play games together and do a lot of the same stuff we do now, only with maybe more back pain and some grey hairs.

I hope that in those 10 years, we will have played gigs together and written more original music. That’s a dream of ours that I’m still hoping to make come true. So, maybe we will have an album or two out by then.

Regardless, I can’t wait to do it all with my future husband by my side and to love each other through the thick and thin of it all.