Christopher and Kelly met the first day of college. The moment he laid eyes on her, Christopher knew he had to create a 10-year plan to win her heart.

He started with subtle ways of gaining her attention, like studying in the Newman Hall dorm on a regular basis. Their friendship continued to grow as Christopher played piano and Kelly sang to songs like "All of Me" and "Your Song". He joined the church choir because of the cute director he liked (Kelly), and even attended her vocal performance with two people who will soon become his sister and brother-in-law.

But it wasn’t enough! Christopher accidentally left his license at a bar in Champaign and was nervous to drive back from Chicago. He asked Kelly to drive his car back to school, where they were engrossed in deep conversation the whole ride on I-57.

Sadly, Kelly graduated and moved to Chicago while Christopher stayed in Champaign to complete his Master's. The plan began to work...Kelly visited him twice that year, but they parted ways, meeting occasionally with friends in Chicago as Christopher moved to Austin, TX.

Fast forward to 2021: The Freeze. Austin had one of the worst freezes in history. Kelly, always remembering Chris, reached out to see if he was alright. The two began texting and talking on the phone for hours. They tried to plan a group trip with friends from college, but really they just wanted to hang out with each other!

Kelly ended up visiting Austin, and their first date was a hike at Hamilton Pool. On that 100 degree day, they frequently stopped to sit on benches and admire the views, so it was only appropriate that Christopher would later propose at the bench they sat on during their first Chicago date. Despite living in different cities, they were able to see each other frequently. They quickly realized something had changed for the better in their relationship and that they were in love with their best friend. With a fully remote job, Kelly was able to visit Christopher frequently, eventually moving to Austin as well.

They have been fortunate to travel to many places across the U.S. to visit family and friends, including Denver, Grand Haven, Naples, Seattle, Spokane, Las Vegas (for rock climbing, not eloping....), and San Diego. In Austin, they love exploring live music scenes, spending time outside, finding cute coffee shops, and going to Loro’s. Kelly and Christopher are so grateful to never have a long distance relationship again!

While they’ve enjoyed the years of adventures, they know the best adventure, marriage, is the best to come.