Back in April 2021, our story began at Dutch Bros Coffee in Tempe, AZ. Cydney was Ty’s trainer and actually volunteered to train him (maybe she had a little crush even then, because Ty is cute of course and also she searched up his Instagram beforehand hehe. I think Ty thought Cydney was cute beforehand because he saw her through the drive thru line days before, but Cydney is not sure lol). She was teaching him how to take orders outside, and at first, Ty was super quiet and barely spoke to her. But it didn’t take long before he started cracking jokes through the iPad we used for orders—and that’s when the fun really began.

Over the next few weeks, we both found ourselves trying to work near each other whenever we could. Cydney would even put them together on positions that were close when they had a shift together. We’d visit each other during shifts, pretending it was no big deal—just coworkers stopping by (spoiler: we just wanted to see each other). Ty even started taking the trash out for Cydney because, well, he’s strong like that. We would flirt with each other, and our feelings were starting to grow, so we decided to hangout outside of work.

We planned our first date for Out of Africa, this incredible zoo up north. Cydney worked a morning shift and then went to her parents’ house for breakfast before heading home to get ready. But on the way, she got into a pretty bad car accident. She had to text Ty to reschedule, and he thought she might be blowing him off (oops). Then, she posted a video of the accident on her story, and Ty realized it was real. He showed up with a stuffed bear and food to cheer her up (awwwww).

A few weeks later, we finally made it to Out of Africa. Near the panther enclosure (fun fact: Ty’s favorite NFL team is the Carolina Panthers—coincidence? Hmmmm), Ty asked Cydney to be his girlfriend. Of course, she said yes! As we were leaving, it started POURING rain, and we had to run to the car soaked. It felt just like a scene out of a movie.

Once we officially started dating, we told our managers, since Dutch Bros has a rule about dating coworkers at the same stand. Thankfully, Ty was already training to transfer to a different stand, so everything worked out perfectly.

Eventually, (like 2 years later lol) we rescued our child, Ralf (please see the “Ralf” tab). He’s our son, and we love him so much.

God had His hand in bringing us together. Through Him, we’ve grown as individuals and as a couple, learning to love, support, and encourage each other in ways we didn’t know were possible. We’ve helped each other become better people, shared so many wonderful moments/interests/experiences, and built a relationship full of faith, joy, and love.

Now, here we are—almost four years after that first Dutch Bros training shift—about to get married! We’re so grateful for this journey and can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.