A Summary of the Multi-Volume Book Series That Is Our Love Story
August 13, 2007
Kirsten and Tyler meet in their senior year of high school and immediately become best friends, spending lots of time together in AP Physics and Calculus classes. This photo was taken on "California Day" during Spirit Week in their AP Physics classroom a few months into their senior year and their friendship. Though she wasn't aware of it at the time, Tyler had a crush on her from basically the first day they met.
May 18, 2008
Kirsten and Tyler graduate from St. George's Independent School together, marking the end of a year of nights spent together talking, studying, and enjoying each other's company, but also marking the beginning of a long-distance best friendship that would last for years to come. At this graduation, Tyler's and Kirsten's maternal grandmothers talk to each other and realize they went to high school together in Los Angeles about 55 years earlier!
August 10, 2008
Tyler gets his Eagle Scout award and Kirsten attends to celebrate him. As the summer has progressed, the time when they will have to say goodbye grows more imminent, and they try to spend as much time together as they can before they head off to college.
September 06, 2008
Though separated by thousands of miles, Kirsten and Tyler never really stop talking. Their facebook "wall-to-wall" is extensive, and they keep each other updated on their new lives at college.
October 11, 2008
Only a few months after starting college, Kirsten and Tyler reunite during Fall Break at the most sophisticated of garage parties—leading to a night of fun and Tyler's lifelong aversion to Crystal Light.
December 16, 2008
Kirsten and Tyler have only been away at college for a semester, but they miss being close enough to meet up on short notice. Each time the end of a semester rolls around, they look forward to seeing each other back home in Memphis.
January 17, 2009
On Tyler's half-birthday, Kirsten expresses her love and friendship for him while promising a musical number in the distant future.
July 17, 2009
On Tyler's birthday, Tyler and Kirsten share their excitement for seeing each other again. In the present day, they are both thrilled that they never have to count the days until Tyler's little butt is home again.
September 12, 2010
While Tyler spends a semester abroad, he and Kirsten continue to look forward to their next meeting. Though Tyler never sent her a plane ticket, and fate tried to keep Tyler from coming home with its delivery of a massive unexpected British snowstorm, he eventually was able to make it back across the pond and see her.
December 31, 2010
Tyler finally makes his way back to Memphis after a semester abroad in Scotland, and Kirsten and Tyler become inseparable once again over the holiday break. New Year's Eve rolls around and they spend it together in their old stomping grounds—hanging out in the very same room they spent many an evening studying in back during Senior Year. After a fun evening of celebrating and reminiscing with two other high school classmates, Kirsten goes home, and the texting conversation between the two takes a flirtatious turn for the first time. Tyler finds it impossible to believe that she could be interested in him, and asks her to prove that it is really her and not Kelsey messing with him. After a week of conversations where Tyler heavily hints at but cannot bring himself to disclose his long-held crush, Kirsten finally takes matters into her own hands and kisses him in a way that would screw him up forever. Even after receiving physical confirmation of her interest, Tyler makes no additional moves out of a fear of misinterpreting being kissed by someone. Kirsten interprets this (very reasonably) as rejection, and buries her feelings down so deep that they wouldn't be accessible for years. Tyler laments his inaction for a long time, ruminating over what might have been.
January 13, 2011
Tyler does the unthinkable and leaves town on Kirsten's birthday. Despite this rude behavior, Kirsten is receptive to Tyler's expressions of love, though it seemed now to return to a platonic affection, at least ostensibly.
January 20, 2011
Tyler is drunk and doing homework and missing Kirsten.
January 13, 2012
Tyler attends Kirsten's 21st birthday party, and after a night of celebration they find themselves at the infamous and now defunct Club 152 (RIP) on Beale Street. Somewhere between taking a body shot off of her friend Shannon (now a brideswoman) and getting in trouble with club security for taking her shoes off on the dance floor, Kirsten proposes a pact to marry each other if they aren't married by the time they're 35. Tyler, perhaps suspiciously enthusiastically, agrees.
May 19, 2012
Two weeks after they both graduate from their respective colleges, Kirsten and Tyler go out with friends in Memphis to the Irish bar, Celtic Crossing. They proceed to take a series of increasingly questionable photos together as the night wears on and more drinks are imbibed.
January 04, 2013
Kirsten and Tyler meet up at Young Avenue Deli for dinner and drinks, one of the few times they physically saw each other during grad school.
December 28, 2013
Kirsten and Tyler reunite once more at the Fox and the Hound in Memphis. It would be the last time they saw each other for almost three years.
April 17, 2014
The year 2014 was Tyler's Annus Horibilis and he was grappling having to Master out of Grad School (which he ultimately was unable to do) and find a new path in life. Kirsten invited him to be her roommate in Memphis, a proposition he sorely wanted to agree to but knew would be perilous due to his lasting affection for her. He recruited Max Strater (now a groomsman) to "hold him back" and convince him not to make the move.
April 25, 2015
As the years progressed, Kirsten and Tyler's communication became more and more frequent. By 2015, they were texting all the time, and often gave each other support as the other went through the standard issue 20s existential crisis.
February 20, 2016
Kirsten invites Tyler to be her roommate a second time. Tyler considers it, and secretly longs to say yes, but is afraid of what would happen if he did.
November 10, 2016
2016 was such a cringe-worthy time looks-wise for both of them that Kirsten almost wanted to leave this off the timeline. But alas, it's an important moment in the lore, so here we are.
Kirsten visits Tyler in Los Angeles where, after getting In-n-Out and margarita supplies, they spend the night on his grandparents' sailboat in Marina del Rey. It is colder than either of them expected, so the idea of a two-person sleeping bag for warmth is tossed out there; Kirsten initially is averse to this prospect. After a tequila-heavy evening of quality friend time, Tyler falls asleep first. Kirsten realizes she is freezing and does indeed need additional body heat, so she curls up next to Tyler, who, while still asleep, puts his arm around her and pulls her closer to him. Kirsten registers a few things in the following order: 1) she likes how this feels to be held by Tyler, 2) it is a problem that she likes how it feels and is concerned about what this means, but 3) she is too drunk and cold and tired to care. They spend the night in each other's arms, and then never speak of this experience again.
November 18, 2016
A week later, Kirsten proposes a second marriage pact, and Tyler reminds her that they already have one pending from her 21st birthday.
April 16, 2017
For the next several years, Kirsten and Tyler see each other only two or three times in person, but their conversation has become constant. There are so many topics discussed that it is impossible to detail even a small portion of them here. Instead, an example is presented of Tyler sharing a valuable lesson about happiness and animal companionship.
November 17, 2017
Tyler has moved to Atlanta for grad school, and Kirsten visits him while on a weekend trip there. They reminisce on the fact that they've known each other for over ten years(!) and they are still doing homework, just like they were in high school (#GoGryphons).
August 05, 2023
Ahead of Kirsten and her sisters attending The Eras Tour in Los Angeles on August 8, Kirsten and Caroline are scheduled to land at LAX around the same time, and had planned to take an Uber together to Kelsey's place in Los Feliz. Caroline's flight gets delayed, so Kirsten finds herself with an extra few hours on her hands. She texts Tyler and semi-jokingly asks him if he wants to come get her at LAX; he has just moved back to his parents' house in Claremont to begin his "funemployment" era. He initially says no, but a few minutes later, he texts Kirsten back and says he is on the way and would be happy to hang out with her. Tyler also agrees to circle back and pick up Caroline once she lands, and then take the two of them to Kelsey's house. So, let the record show that Tyler went to LAX (a nightmare to drive through) not once, but TWICE in the same night for Kirsten, not to mention the drive from Claremont to LAX, LAX to Los Feliz, and then Los Feliz to Claremont. This is also where the ongoing jokes about Tyler's Uber service begin, because he arrives at LAX with water bottles and snacks in the car for Kirsten and Caroline-- 5 out of 5 stars.
August 07, 2023
Kirsten and Tyler meet up at Disneyland, marking the first time in years they have seen each other in person (excluding brief stopovers when Tyler moved to and from Atlanta), and certainly the first time they have spent an entire day together in person. Tyler gets his first lived experience with the Cannon family level of Disney mania, though he does opt out of rope-dropping and meets up with them at around 10am. If you've ever heard Kirsten and Tyler joke about "churros for dinner," this is where that was born, because they did indeed eat churros for dinner. After a day of Disney magic and mania, they share a parting hug that feels just a little bit too comfortable; delightful, even. They decide that it would be good if they saw each other more in the coming months.
August 14, 2023
Kirsten's dear sweet soul friend, Zach Halaby, fondly known as "The Fourth Cannon Sister" and effectively Kirsten's little brother, dies by suicide. This is not an event that directly involves Tyler, but it impacts him and where the two of them are now: Kirsten views this heartbreaking loss as the pivotal, defining moment of her life and its trajectory. Everything before this date is The Before Times, and everything after is changed forever. Amidst the insurmountable grief, Kirsten takes inventory of her life and asks herself what she is doing with it. In the following weeks, Kirsten decides to end a suffocating multi-year relationship, freeing herself to live a more aligned life (which, as you know, ultimately results in Kirsten and Tyler ending up together).
August 25, 2023
Kirsten and Tyler spend the day together in Los Angeles, after she and her sister Kelsey do the Big Sur drive down the 1 the day prior, coming from their cousin's wedding in Carmel-by-the-Sea, and before Kirsten and Kelsey have to take a red-eye flight to Atlanta that night for Zach's memorial the next day. Tyler holds space for Kirsten's grief throughout the day, yet Kirsten is also able to be present in the moment, being intentional about savoring this time shared with her best friend. At Griffith Observatory, Kirsten encourages Tyler to honor his inner child and buy a commemorative coin in the gift shop that he has wanted since he was a kid. And since Griffith Observatory is Tyler's favorite place, Kirsten insists on executing a photo shoot for Tyler, because he needs better and more recent pictures for his online dating profiles (LOL). As they drive from Griffith Observatory to Venice Beach, Kirsten dissolves into tears in the passenger seat of Tyler's car, expressing that as wrecked as she is about Zach, she has realized that she would be absolutely destroyed if something happened to Tyler, and that she is scared at the prospect of losing him. He assures her that as long as he lives, they will always be connected. They listen to The 1975 (one of Zach's favorite bands) on the way to Kelsey's house from the beach, and Tyler's love for The 1975 is born. That night, Tyler drives Kirsten and Kelsey from Los Feliz to the Ontario airport—if you know Los Angeles, you know this is a VERY generous and loving act.
October 01, 2023
After seeing The 1975 in concert in San Diego, Kirsten and Kelsey drive up to Los Angeles, where Tyler meets up with them at Griffith Park to do the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride and get into the spirit of spooky season. While going through a haunted house, Kirsten grabs Tyler's hand after a jump scare; he quickly pulls his hand away.
October 22, 2023
Tyler visits Kirsten in Memphis to attend their 15 year high school reunion event, but the reunion gets canceled (#GoGryphons). So on Friday evening, they decide last minute to buy floor tickets to see The 1975 in Nashville, 48 hours before the show starts on Sunday. They leave Memphis at about 4pm, do the 3 hour drive to Nashville, go to the concert and have the BEST time (Kirsten nearly walks directly into Matty Healy at one point), and then do the 3 hour drive back all in one night, getting back to Memphis at about 3am.
November 28, 2023
Kirsten brings her kitten home for good, naming him Neal (after the White Collar character, due to similar personalities). Neal's adoption is included on this timeline since he is a main character in Tyler and Kirsten's love story, and they now refer to him as their feline child.
December 25, 2023
After a difficult year, Tyler and his parents invite Kirsten to spend Christmas 2023 with the Roche family in Claremont, CA. She accepts, and has a delightful Christmas holiday making spiked punch on Christmas Eve, talking about Carly Rae Jepsen Christmas music with Weston, tasting all of Dennis's seasonal cocktails, decorating cookies, and winning Christmas trivia with Tyler.
December 28, 2023
Tyler flies back to Memphis with Kirsten after Christmas in California, having promised her that he would help her put her house and her life back together (since she lost 50% of her belongings in the aforementioned relationship breakup), and Tyler loves assembling furniture for some reason. Neal and Tyler meet, and despite being unsure about Tyler for a while, Neal is VERY interested in all of Tyler's technology.
December 31, 2023
Kirsten and Tyler spend New Year's Eve together for the first time since the 2010-into-2011 NYE (peep the photo recreation), attending the NYE Grizzlies game with Mallory. Tyler notices that Ghost River Brewing, where Kirsten and Mallory go before Grizzlies games often, is a Green Bay Packers bar, and he is excited to have found a Packer bar in Memphis!
January 13, 2024
Kirsten's birthday falls during the weekend of her Intermediate I Somatic Experiencing training in Nashville. After the plans for her sisters to come to Nashville to celebrate her birthday fall through, Tyler comes along so that Kirsten won't be alone after training on her first Saturday birthday in years. He executes Kirsten's vision for an elementary school style lunch time birthday party, driving around to pick up cupcakes and balloons and bringing them to the training site.
January 27, 2024
Tyler watches Neal while Kirsten goes skiing with friends, and while she is away, Neal softens into the assuredness that he really likes Tyler, and formally decides to adopt Tyler as his second parent. Upon Kirsten's return, Neal and Tyler's deepened bond is clear. Kirsten tells Tyler that now he can never leave Memphis, since he has to stick around for Neal. As one of Kirsten's SE friends said, "it's good for a cat to have a mom and a dad."
February 14, 2024
Kirsten tells Mallory that she can't attend the Grizzlies game on 2/14/24. Mallory asks why, Kirsten says she's going to dinner, Mallory asks with whom, Kirsten tells her, and Mallory says, "I knew it!" She elaborates and tells Kirsten that she could tell "by the way he looks at you." Kirsten and Tyler spend their first non-platonic Valentine's Day together, and off they go down their romantic path.
February 17, 2024
Kirsten's grandmother turns 90, and Tyler gets to meet Kirsten's uncle, aunt, and cousins from San Diego when they come to visit to celebrate! Tyler is a huge hit with the family, until the Padres fan family members learn that Tyler is a Dodgers fan, and Kirsten's Uncle Dan says, "Send him back!"
March 17, 2024
Abby takes this photo of Kirsten and Tyler in New Orleans, where Kirsten, Tyler, Abby, and Thomas have gathered to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. A week later, Kirsten uses this photo to officially hard launch the romantic relationship with Tyler to the internet with the following caption:
"Please consider this a formal retraction of all condescending and dismissive comments I have made over the years about the best friends-to-lovers trope. Apparently, I myself have been in a nauseating rom-com since 2007. How embarrassing."
April 19, 2024
Kirsten and Tyler fly to Chicago for her sister Caroline's TTPD (The Tortured Poets Department) album release party, after which Caroline takes several photos of them, saying they need more photos of them as a couple being cute. Mission accomplished! This photo is now framed and hung on the wall in their home :)
April 20, 2024
Kirsten and Tyler visit Rat Hole, the historic Chicago monument, a mere 3 days before the monument was demolished forever.
May 16, 2024
Kirsten and Tyler visit the ICEBAR Stockholm and get coordinating beanies on their Sweden trip.
May 17, 2024
Kirsten has the honor and pleasure of taking Tyler and his parents, Cindy and Dennis, to their first ever Taylor Swift concert in Stockholm, Sweden! Afterwards, Dennis says, "That was the greatest show I've ever seen. Better than Broadway, better than Hollywood!" Kirsten is thrilled to have successfully brought her future in-laws into the fold of her special interest.
June 22, 2024
Former baseball hater Kirsten spends her own money on a Los Angeles Dodgers hat, and then proceeds to wear it in public. Tyler jokes that this is when he knew for sure that Kirsten really loved him.
July 18, 2024
Kirsten and Tyler attend The Eras Tour in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. A nice man sees them taking a selfie and offers to take their photo outside the stadium; it turns out he is a German journalist who ends up interviewing them for his newspaper!
July 21, 2024
Kirsten and Tyler visit Amsterdam together and fall in love with the city!
August 25, 2024
Kirsten and Tyler attend Kirsten's cousin Brianna Lindberg's wedding to Kevin Taylor on Catalina Island! In a fun, foreshadowing twist of fate, Kirsten catches the bouquet at the reception at Descanso Beach Club.
August 26, 2024
Kirsten and Tyler take a tour of the Catalina Casino and fall in love with it! They talk about how cool it would be if they could have their dream wedding at the Casino someday :)
September 30, 2024
Kirsten, Tyler, Tiffany, and Trent do Disney World together!
October 01, 2024
Tyler experiences his first full visit to the World Showcase at Epcot (versus the abbreviated visit the day prior), so he and Kirsten take photos in every single country!
October 12, 2024
Tyler and Kirsten make a trip to Green Bay, for Kirsten's first Green Bay Packers game, and they take a tour of Lambeau Field the day before the game. Fun fact: Kirsten and Tyler were both raised as Packers fans, since both of them have at least one paternal grandparent from Wisconsin!
October 13, 2024
Tyler takes Kirsten to her first Packers game, courtesy of Tyler's dad's season tickets that were willed to him by his father (Tyler's grandfather). It is very chilly and rains nearly the whole game, but Kirsten's ear plugs are effective at dampening sound and she gets a cool pin for it being her first Packers game! She hopes for a warmer and drier day for her next game attendance.
October 27, 2024
Kirsten and Tyler attend their final Eras Tour show in New Orleans with Mallory. Tyler rewears his costume from the Stockholm show, and his niche reference costume (Jack Antonoff during the making of "Getaway Car") is a bigger hit in the States than overseas.
November 28, 2024
Kirsten and Tyler spend their first Thanksgiving together as a couple, even hosting their first houseguest in Tyler's friend (and now best man), David.
December 19, 2024
Kirsten and Tyler arrive to Disney World for the Christmas parties, leaning hard into the matching vibes from the start, wearing these matching spirit jerseys on the plane.
December 20, 2024
Kirsten and Tyler attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom. They wear matching Christmas onesies and are a huge hit with parkgoers and employees alike.
December 21, 2024
The Disney Christmas magic continues as Kirsten and Tyler attend Jollywood Nights, the big Christmas party event at Hollywood Studios. Their outfits are coordinating (featuring a sequined Christmas lights pattern on Kirsten's sweater and Tyler's blazer) rather than directly matching, but they still get lots of compliments and have fun taking cheesy photos together.
December 24, 2024
Tyler's first Christmas back in Memphis in over a decade! Tyler, Kirsten, and Kirsten's parents go out to dinner downtown on Christmas Eve and then to the Peabody to see the Christmas gingerbread village and the massive Christmas tree.
January 15, 2025
Tyler proposes to Kirsten on a private chartered sunset sail in Hawaii, surrounded by dolphins.
February 22, 2025
Kirsten and Tyler attend the first annual Baptist University College of Osteopathic Medicine (BUCOM, where Tyler teaches biochemistry to first and second year med students) Med Gala.
April 04, 2025
Kirsten and Tyler take engagement photos at The Lafayette Hotel in San Diego. This is, hands down, the coolest that either of them has ever looked in life.
April 12, 2025
K & T's engagement party, where these photos taken 17.5 years apart are displayed together