Kirk and Kelly first met at work in early 2012, shortly after they both graduated from WKU. They were co-workers and then friends, getting to know each other at group lunches, happy hours and pub trivia at Mellow Mushroom. They kept in touch even after Kirk started a new job one year later. Eventually in the Spring of 2013, Kelly asked Kirk on a date (he said yes) — and later that week they were bonding over spicy lamb vindaloo and IPAs. And there would be many more dates to come. 10 years worth of memories later and they’ve created a home with their dogs Rolf and Laika, road-tripped to new cities, seen countless concerts and even survived quarantine.

In June of 2022, on the first day of their post-pandemic trip to New York, Kirk and Kelly picked up bagels and coffee (bacon, egg and cheese for him, lox and cream cheese for her) at their favorite Manhattan deli and walked two blocks west to Madison Square Park. It was a gorgeous day and the park was busy, but they found an empty bench with a view of the Flatiron Building and unwrapped their breakfast. Kirk’s bagel was gone before Kelly had even taken a bite. She was so enamored by the sights and sounds of the park that she didn’t notice as Kirk pulled a box out of his pocket. He proposed there on the bench in their favorite city and she said yes.