How We Met
Dylan and Kathleen first met online on November 21, 2017. What seemed like just a simple hello text turned out to be a whole conversation of getting to know each other. Dylan had just recently moved to Michigan with his family, and Kathleen lived in Indiana. Even though they lived 329 miles apart, that did not stop their relationship from growing. In January 2018, they decided to meet in person, and they both agreed that Dylan would drive down to meet Kathy and her parents on February 14, 2018. Upon his arrival, Dylan was very nervous, but as soon as he saw Kathleen, he instantly knew that he would marry her someday. Their relationship began to take off as they bonded over the Bible, their love for Jesus, and much much more. During one of Kathleen’s visits, Dylan asked her to be his girlfriend on April 21, 2018. From there, their relationship continued to grow as they each took turns visiting each other.
Unexpected Trials
"Excuse us!" A nurse called out as she hurriedly pushed a hospital bed through the crowded emergency hallway. She found an empty place in the hallway where she parked the hospital bed. "I'm sorry, but all the rooms are currently occupied at the moment," the nurse told the patient. "You will have to wait here until a room is available." As the nurse walked away, the patient's father caught up to the bed where his son was. "How are you feeling?" He asked his son. Dylan rolled over in the bed and replied, "I feel fine." Dylan's mind was racing on the events that happened that day. After a couple of days of being in the hospital, Dylan would soon find out that he had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. As soon as Kathy found out, she immediately drove to the hospital where Dylan was and spent the weekend with Dylan. Over time Dylan would face many challenges in his life, and at the same time, Kathy would face challenges too in her life; but the couple would help and encourage each other in the Lord. It was during both of their trials that they knew God had placed each other in one another's life. These trials that they would face would bring them closer together and closer to the Lord.
The Proposal
On the morning of June 5, 2021, Dylan had everything planned for a proposal that he had been preparing for months. He previously asked Kathy’s father for permission and purchased the ring without raising any suspicion to Kathy. Dylan also invited his twin brother, Tyler, who lives in Wisconsin, to be his videographer for the proposal. However, unbeknownst to Dylan, Kathy actually surprised him and came earlier to visit him on that weekend that they had planned for her to come to Michigan. Nervousness started to build up in Dylan as they played tennis on the morning of the proposal day. He knew that she would say yes, but he was just nervous about the whole thing and also nervous that he would forget the speech he had been planning on say (which he did). They planned on after tennis to have a picnic at the park. They were celebrating their three-year anniversary as a couple, and as they have always done for their anniversaries, they planned on dressing up. Upon arriving at the park with Tyler as their chaperone, they went to a spot that Dylan had already picked out for their picnic. Once they got to the spot, Dylan laid out the picnic blanket and basket. He mentioned to Kathy that they should take pictures before diving into a delicious lunch. However, Dylan couldn’t find his phone, which was odd cause his phone was always in his pocket. He turns to his twin and asks if he had seen his phone. Tyler replied that he saw that Dylan had left it in the car, so he had brought it with him because he knew Dylan would be looking for it. This was actually preplanned because this is when Dylan would grab the ring box from Tyler along with his phone. Kathy had no idea of the exchange taking place because she was busy snapping photos of the picnic set up. After the ring box exchange, Dylan mentions to Kathy that before they eat, they should take some pictures. This is something they usually do, so it didn’t seem odd to Kathy. The couple tried taking some photos, but it was hard to get them and the picnic set up in the frame. So Dylan asked Tyler if he wouldn’t mind taking some photos for them. Tyler agreed and took some pictures for them. After the mini photo shoot, Dylan turns to Kathy and says, “Before we enjoy our picnic, there is something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time.” Kathy looked puzzled and said, “What’s that?” To her utter surprise, Dylan got down on one knee and asked her to marry him, and the rest is history, as the saying goes.
