“Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete..”
For Kyle and I, I believe our story began long before we even knew each-other existed in our own little worlds.
Summer 2005- I started undergrad at Xavier University of Louisiana. The beloved place where I met some of my very best friends and the place that fully prepared me for not only becoming a doctor but becoming a woman. I stepped on to that campus not really knowing anyone, but Kyle was there and a friendly face. We didn't know each other well but he knew I was from the same city and same high school and he always looked out for me. One night, I was out back home in Lafayette. I actually happened to be with one of my best friends, who happens to be Kyle's cousin, and as we walked out I remembered him making sure I got home safely. One of my friend's said "OOOO what was that?" with a winkie face personified. I shrugged it off and said girl he is not worried about me. Little did I know that guy would be my future husband.
October 2013- Kyle and I had mutual friends getting married. He swears he tried to flirt with me on instagram (very early in instagram’s existence) but I thought nothing of his supposed attempts. I mean instagram was pretty new! A girl couldn't put that much stock into an old friend asking me to bring him a Georgetown cupcake. We saw each other at our friends wedding and it was really great to see him. He was so handsome and sweet. We talked, laughed, and it was refreshing to have someone that understood my Lafayette-ishness (not a word but you get what I mean). It's funny because not long before this wedding, my same friend that got married asked me about Kyle and what I thought of him romantically. Again, I shrugged it off. Shrugged off my future husband again! But turns out that this time, he actually was "worried" about me :)
April 2014- I was going through a hard time. It was my intern year (which I always say I wouldn't repeat for a million and one dollars). I worked about 80 hours a week, so its safe to say dating wasn't easy. Also, most of my friends moved out of DC to attend their own residency programs. I remember praying so hard one night around this time. In that prayer, I asked that God send me a guy that didn't have to be perfect, but one that was perfect for me. Soon after, Kyle hit me up to tell me he was moving to DC. I thought great!!! A friend!!! We went out for drinks and fries (2 of my favorite things) and we hung out nearly every day since then. He not only became my best friend but the love of my life. My Godsend... literally. I asked and I received the most perfect man in my eyes. I'm so truly blessed to have a best friend that loves me fully and makes sure that I know it! We've been inseparable since that first night and I can't wait to spend the rest of my nights and days with him... :)
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.”
If you ask me, this beautiful story of love began with 1) Georgetown cupcakes and 2) Kaboom cereal. I know, I know...this makes absolutely no sense, but take a trip with me while I paint this masterpiece for you.
January 2013 - Us millennials were trying to get our footing with Instagram. Sure, we all had accounts and pretty much knew the ins and outs of social media thanks to The Twitters and The Facebooks, but a lot of our pics were trash! Through the poor lighting and less than ideal camera angles of 2013, the stunning beauty of this young lady that I went to high school and Xavier with stood out on my timeline. 1/1/2013. First pic of hers that I liked. I fell into the trap (Beauty *check*).
I continued to admire Moneé from afar - when I say afar, I mean different time zones afar. I was living in Kansas City working as an electrical engineer. She was living her best life in D.C. at Howard for Medical School (Brains *check*). We had kept up with one another over the years via twitter, so I was already well aware of her exceptional ear for dope music and good laughs (Personality and Sense of humor *check and check*).
October 2013 - Our mutual friends Femi and Angela got married (shoutout to black love). I knew that their wedding would be an opportunity for me to make a impression. You see, outside of a few eye emojis and likes, I hadn’t done anything of substance to show interest. Moneé posted something about Georgetown cupcakes around the same time I made some weird post about childhood cereals, and Kaboom was one of them. Apparently, she used to love kaboom as a kid. “I’ll bring you some to the wedding if you bring me a cupcake” it was a deal! (Gents - that was a very risky tactic that should not be used by everyone) FYI, kaboom has been discontinued and is impossible to find (believe me, I tried). The wedding came around and it was gorgeous, and Moneé was gorgeous...we chatted when we could. I don’t know if we exchanged numbers. I don’t think we danced. The night ended. That was an L if I had ever taken an L.
January - April 2014 - When you pray with intention God creates a way, I’m a firm believer in that. Personally, I prayed for a specific type of woman. I’ll save the details, but I prayed for all the things they sing about in 90s R&B songs. Professionally, I prayed for an opportunity outside of engineering. To be specific, I prayed that I got into a full time MBA program so that I could switch into a career in either brand management or management consulting. The man upstairs had to be working overtime, because I got a job offer in management consulting WITHOUT having to get an MBA in...you guessed it, D.C.!
Moneé and I celebrated my move and new career. We went to Policy Lounge on 14th St. We had D’usse. We had fries. We shared laughs. I heard 90s R&B in my head when the night was over. The rest is history...