Our story through Kryslyn's eyes:

September 9th 2016 is a special date. It's the date when I finally responded to a message from this guy who in my opinion looked like a bobble head. From his pictures, he looked very young and I was never one to date someone younger than me. As a side note, it was day number three after which he had sent this message. We decided to video call using Skype since I had mentioned that I wasn't in the U.S. at the time. We spent hours on that video call and at the end, you would've thought we had known each other for years. It was through that hours long video call that I realized I had found my husband. I knew definitively he was my person when I received a package from him while overseas. In the box were a pair of boxing gloves, a pair of earphones, and a beautiful note. As another side note, the boxing gloves were referenced to a conversation we had where I playfully told him we would fight once I got back to the U.S. and the earphones because it seemed like I could never hear him when we were talking.

Over the next several months we talked for hours on video calls and messaged often when it wasn't convenient for us both to talk. When I came back to the U.S., we were scheduled to go on our first official date, but I was nervous because he would be the first guy I had ever considered meeting in person from online. I told my mom about him and immediately, she was worried and said we wouldn't be going on a date until she met him. Being the only girl, it was inevitable that my oldest brother would give him a thorough once-over. Imagine getting your work ID and driver's license captured and being questioned as if you were at a precinct and meeting almost the entire family on your first time officially meeting a potential partner. By the end of the evening, my mom and grandpa were both smitten with him and I knew indefinitely, he would not be going anywhere.

Over the last 8 years, Keith has been my constant and the most supportive partner of whom a woman can ask. Glad I accepted that message on OkCupid because I wouldn't have gotten to enjoy this amazing man.

Our story through Keith's eyes:

I messaged Kryslyn because she was attractive but didn't think she was going to message me back. After 2 days, I had to reread her profile to make sure I didn't mess things up. She finally messaged me back after 3 days. We talked for hours on video call. I hadn't told a lot of people about us, except my friends. Three months into us talking, my boys and I were chatting and I told them I had met someone and they questioned the relationship almost immediately. They said, "she's going to rob me." I told them they would eventually get to meet Kryslyn and know she's not that type of

chick. When Kryslyn gets back to the U.S., she tells me that her mom wants to meet me before we go on our first date. I met the family and they seemed cool. We rescheduled our first date to a Jazz spot called Warm Daddy's. On our date she says you gotta meet my cousin because it's her birthday. I wasn't into the idea because it was our first date. We met up with her cousin and passed the night along. A couple months later, Kryslyn met the guys while at a bowling night. They questioned her wanting to know her intentions. After that night, they knew she was different and could see the relationship moving in the right direction. Later on that year, I introduced Kryslyn to my family during Thanksgiving and she fit in instantly. She even got to meet my grandma who asked her when she was going back home to Liberia.

Over the next 8 years, I have enjoyed growing and traveling with her. I'm glad she responded to me and I can't wait to see what the future

holds for us.

Photos