Our Love Story

By Iliana

I honestly don’t remember the first time I met Tyler. We were in the same ward (church congregation) for almost a year before I have any memory of us interacting. In The summer of 2022 our ward got significantly smaller as many students left for the summer. Those of us who were left started interacting more and more. His roommates befriended mine, and soon we spent the summer hanging out as a big group with other people in the ward. It was that summer I first got to know Tyler.

One night I made a deal with my roommate Ashley that if I asked someone on a date, she would too. I thought Tyler was very attractive, nice, and he had just given an excellent Sunday school lesson, so I gathered all my courage and asked him out on a date. We hiked up Green Canyon and had a nice time—despite the fact I got covered in mud from walking through tall grass, and when we got back to his car he had a flat tire. We went on a couple dates more, before just deciding to be friends. I can honestly say that at the time my roommates (especially Ashley) were more devastated about it than I was.

Another year passed with Tyler and I just being friends. We hadn’t ever dated long enough for things to be awkward so we often found ourselves hanging out in the same group of friends. A year later it was once again summer, and once again the group of people left in our ward significantly decreased. We once again found ourselves spending more and more time together. One night, at some kind of get together we started talking about books. We ended up recommending each other little-known book series and made a deal to read them.

Within a week Tyler was halfway through the series I recommended (It would take me 8+ months of dating before I finished the series he recommended). We started texting about his thoughts about the book, which turned into us meeting to get lunch at a Brazilian place. We sat at that restaurant and talked for hours, first about the book and then about anything that came to mind. It wasn’t until I got home and my roommate Cailin asked where I had been all day that I realized Tyler had picked me up, bought me lunch, and then spent hours with me - which meant I had essentially accidentally gone on a date with Tyler. To this day I can’t get a straight answer out of him whether or not it was supposed to be a date.

The crazy thing is that that wasn't the only accidental date—he got together with a “group” to go ice skating and then it turned out to be just the two of us. He says that everyone else bailed last minute but I still have my suspicions. My roommates couldn’t stop laughing when I told them what happened. On the summer solstice of 2023 Tyler had a huge party in his backyard with friends from our ward where we burned a witch (a Danish tradition) and had a true American BBQ. At one point that night I found myself alone with Tyler, and he finally asked me out on an actual date. Within minutes every single person at the party knew, and I spent the rest of the night getting knowing looks.

Our second-first date lasted 6 hours and only ended because Tyler was called in to work to fix a machine that clearly hates love. Tyler and I continued to go on infrequent dates but we were both busy and he was gone on vacation for nearly 3 weeks. A little more than a month later I was convinced that this blossoming romance was going to wither and die and Tyler and I were destined to be just friends, and unlike the previous year, I was crushed.

One Sunday night Tyler texted me and asked if he could come over to talk. I was so convinced I was about to get the “I don’t think this is going to work out” conversation that I didn’t even bother to change out of my lazy clothes, which that day were paint stained sweats and an old t-shirt. He came over and we made small talk which somehow turned into us talking about how you would build a cult-leader character in Dungeons & Dragons (why we were talking about this I have no idea— what can I say except we are giant nerds). 

There was a natural lull in the conversation and without any warning or transition Tyler turned to me and told me that he wanted to date me. My brain caught up enough to stutter out that I wanted that too, and then he kissed me. That was too much for my poor brain and it shut down completely - which is the only justification I have for blurting out “lets make cookies!” Which is the story of why Tyler and I made cookies the night we started dating.

I don’t think my brain came back online for several hours - my roommates can testify to that fact. 

Everyone loves hearing the story of how we started dating but the truth is that is just the prologue to our love story. Our love was built up a little at a time, through long late night phone calls, romantic dates, lazy dates, fun adventures, and adventures that didn’t go as planned. I realized I had fallen in love with him when I kept almost saying it without realizing it. Everytime we said goodbye it was on the tip of my tongue. Of course Tyler was the first to say he loved me, when he announced it over chips and salsa at Cafe Sabor. Once again he caught me so off guard that my brain shut down—I was so shocked and happy that for a second I thought I was hallucinating. Thankfully this time I didn’t blurt out that we should make cookies.

Now he tells me he loves me everyday. My brain doesn’t shut off anymore—but I still get butterflies every single time. 

There are too many stories to tell of moments that led to Tyler and I choosing each other for time and all eternity. We’ve camped out at the mountain man rendezvous in Wyoming, and biked the streets of Denmark. We’ve worn our nicest clothes out for a date, and we’ve eaten ice cream in pajamas on the couch. Because of Tyler I’ve done things I never thought I could do, like running a 5k or finishing my thesis. We’ve talked for hours about the gospel, and Tyler's love for our Savior has strengthened my own faith. 

Despite the hundreds of stories I could tell, our love story is still at its beginning. I can’t wait to keep building it, and see what it becomes. I’m sure that with God's help we can build something beyond anything we can imagine.

Thank you to Katie Evans King for her beautiful photography.