Our story starts out in Arvada, CO where we met through our Church in December of 2022. Both Kayla and Max attend their regular Sunday Service at Storyline Church, but didn't know what would be instore for the next years! At the time, we were both in the first semester of our junior year of college. With both of us being college athletes at separate schools, a lot of our time was dedicated to our respective sports. However, we were always able to find time to spend with each other, grow in our relationship, and grow closer to God with one another.

After dating for over a year and a half, Max proposed on October 24th, 2024 at the very spot we saw each other for the first time, Storyline Church.

Kayla had Bible study at the Church every Thursday, and Max wanted to propose at the church and make it a complete surprise. After the bible study ended, with the help of Kayla's twin sister Kenzie and their friend Katie, Kayla was taken to be distracted. Max and Andrew (Kenzie's soon-to-be husband) cleared out the people in the auditorium and quickly set up in the spot where Max saw Kayla for the first time. After a while, Kenzie and Katie brought Kayla back to the auditorium because Kenzie "had forgotten something," and Max was standing right inside. Not only was Kayla in sweats but also her first words out of her mouth were, "What are you doing here?!" So it's safe to say the element of surprise worked. We got to celebrate with friends and family the rest of that weekend!

I went to church on Sunday like I always do. I wore my camo jacket because I needed a full zip jacket to not mess up my hair. The service had ended, and my family and I were walking out. My mom pointed out a "cute country boy" that would be meeting us at the bottom of the stairs... I was nervous to take a look, but I hit a side-eye to get an okay look of a tall blonde country boy! My family made it out to the lobby, and Mom went to the restroom to give me some time to walk over and talk to Max (who was now in a huge circle filled with 15 Mines football teammates).

I went home on a mission to find Max on the roster. My mom and I argued about which one was the boy we saw at church, but we finally found him and then I did what anyone my age would do... search his name on instagram!

The first Sunday morning I saw Kayla was the day after our quarterfinal win down in San Angelo. My buddies and I were running behind getting to the early service that morning due to the game and traveling the day before tiring us out. Because of this, my friend Hayden (my best man) and I had to sit in a different area of the auditorium than we normally did. This was away from the section with all of the guys on the team. After the service was concluded, Hayden and I walked a different way out of the auditorium. Right before we walked out of the room, I saw the most beautiful blonde girl in a camo jacket look at me and then walk away. At that moment, I immediately thought to myself, "I'll never see that girl again." I was dead wrong about that because I received a follow request on Instagram by the time I got back to my house, and from looking at the profile picture, it was the girl I had seen at church, so I dm'd her and the rest leads us to where we are now.

Kayla grew up in Arvada, CO and went to Golden High School. She then attended Colorado Christian University to play softball and pursue a degree in Business Administration. She graduated in 2024 with honors and received multiple awards for her accomplishments in softball including a second-team All-American selection. Kayla is now employed as an assistant coach on the CCU softball staff and is very excited about the upcoming season! In her free time, Kayla enjoys working out and being on the lake.

Max grew up in McKinney, TX where he attended McKinney North High School. After graduating in 2020, he chose to attend Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO. In his time there, he played on the football team and had the opportunity to play on the national semi-finalist team and two national finalist teams. In May of 2024, Max received his bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering. Currently, he is pursuing a master’s degree in Engineering and Technology Management and is set to graduate in May of 2025. In his free time, Max likes to hunt, fish, or do anything involving the outdoors.