Our love story began in 2022 when we met on the Union Adventist University gymnastics team, the Gymnaires. We were paired together for tossing and elevators, with Alex as the backspot and Kylee as the top. Kylee was still figuring out the moves and often ended up falling onto Alex, who would catch her from behind. After one of these tumbles, Alex jokingly told Kylee that she owed him McDonald's for all the times she had fallen on him. Kylee agreed to the offer, but they ended up agreeing to go to De’Leon’s (a late-night Mexican spot in Lincoln) instead.

After gymnastics, we went to De’Leon’s and had an "unofficial, official" date with a vegetarian burrito and super fries. Kylee didn’t have the heart to tell Alex (a big meat lover) that she was vegan, so she happily ate her burrito. We hit it off and talked about everything—our gymnastics team, our families, our experience at Union, and more. After that night, we started talking more. Alex made subtle moves—like walking Kylee back to the dorm after practice, messaging her often on Instagram, and chatting during practice.

We both left for spring break, but kept in touch via text. When we returned, we hung out the day we got back, sitting in Kylee’s special car, "Ritz" (a 2000 Toyota Corolla), listening to music on Alex’s massive JBL speaker. We shared songs, and Kylee played “American Pie” by Don McLean for Alex. For some reason, Alex set himself the goal of memorizing all the verses of the eight-minute, forty-two-second song (though I don’t think he succeeded, but he did memorize quite a few). It became "our song," played and sung so often it became part of our story.

As our relationship grew, we had more fun dates and experiences together, like going to the movies, attending the spring banquet, and participating in our gymnastics homeshow, where Alex officially met Kylee’s family and got a preview of what he was getting into! The gymnastics team had a bonding retreat at a lakehouse in Fremont, Nebraska, to celebrate the team and our fun home show. We swam, sat in the hot tub, played games, and gathered around the bonfire. On that Saturday night, during a relaxed bonfire, Alex asked Kylee to be his girlfriend while some team members watched and cheered from the balcony. Kylee said yes, and we officially started dating.

The next summer, Alex worked at Camp Heritage in Missouri, which began our first experience with long-distance. During that time, Alex also discovered his love for horses. The following school year, we both continued with gymnastics, began attending line dancing at the Pla Mor Ballroom (where Alex found his passion for the “boot scootin' boogie”), balanced busy school schedules, and even worked as RAs for Residential Life.

In the summer of 2023, Kylee convinced Alex to work at North Star Camp, where Alex became the head wrangler of the horse barn and Kylee took on the role of boat director. With limited experience, it was a busy but exciting summer filled with memories—like a bruised foot from a horse stepping on it, losing a toenail, falling off the boat, and lots of laughter.

Kylee spent the next year in Maui, working at the Hawaiian Mission Academy as a teacher’s aide, and once again, we managed long-distance. Alex came to visit for Thanksgiving, and we explored the island—watching sunsets, visiting the volcano, and snorkeling. Alex mentioned how it would’ve been fun to propose in Hawai’i, and that sparked the first conversations about getting engaged.

After a year of growth and distance, we were finally able to be together again. Kylee spent the summer at home while Alex worked another summer at North Star as the barn director. We started the Fall semester, with Alex in nursing school and Kylee in OT school, both busy while working as student deans for the dorms. We began pre-marital counseling and continued talking about our future together.

Fast forward to Sunday, November 24, 2024: we had flown to Montana to visit Alex’s mom, along with his sister Gabi. We were staying close to Glacier National Park, and decided to visit on Sunday, November 24, where at 3:15 p.m., Alex asked Kylee to be his forever in a snowy tree canopy off a trail on the Going to the Sun Road.

I didn’t believe it was happening until Alex pulled out the ring box. Inside was a beautiful oval-shaped ring with three mini diamonds on each side, and I LOVED it!

It turns out, Alex decided that day he was going to propose. Originally, he had planned to scope out the area first and return the next day to propose, but when he got to the park, he couldn’t wait. He told his mom and sister (who were both caught off guard) that he was proposing that day.

The whole time, Alex was nervous that I had seen the ring box in his pocket, especially since he’d been staring at the ring in his room for two weeks, eagerly waiting to give it to me.

When Alex’s mom (Margo) and Gabi came to get me from the bathroom, they told me that Alex had found a different spot on the trail where he wanted to take pictures. This was the first sign that something might be up (Alex wanting to take pictures??). I was completely caught off guard and thought Alex would propose in January, especially since that was his original plan.

The day was beautiful, and we will cherish the memories forever—just like our upcoming wedding, which we know will be just as special. We’ve been making fun plans for the future, and we can’t wait to continue sharing our forever story with all of you in a few months. We are so thankful to God for bringing us together and for the supportive friends and family who have always had our backs. Thank you for supporting and loving us!