Dogs may be man's best friend, but they can also be overprotective guardians a man has to win over if he wants a real chance with their owner.

Knowing this, she held off for a while on introducing him to her canine companions: Ace, who is paralyzed below the mid-back and wears diapers (all of which can be a bit much for people unaccustomed to it), and Slugger, who would nip at her new boyfriend's heels the first six months he came around.

But in this situation in which some guys would have been put off, he was patient. And in this situation she'd initially avoided, she saw how special he was. Thus, what could have been a deal-breaker was actually, for Stacey Sharp and Kyle Boedeker, a validation of the love story they were starting. 

The official start of that story came courtesy of OkCupid. Stacey had been reluctant to give Internet dating a go, but at the urging of friends finally finished a profile one of them had begun for her. And she evidently did a good job with it, as it succeeded in standing out among the many Kyle had come across. 

“It seemed genuine, and not the same things you read on every profile,” he says. 

His stood out to her, as well, as intelligent and well-written, with a hint of snark. (She specifically remembers him comparing himself to a glass of fine wine, in terms of having less hair with age.) And when they first met in person — for drinks at McCoy’s in the Westport district of Kansas City — each lived up to the persona portrayed online. 

That first date took place September 18, 2014, and came with some Schlafly Pumpkin Ale that Kyle remembers being particularly good that year. But just as memorable for him was Stacey’s laugh — and the fact that, both being chronically early by nature, they each showed up 20 minutes ahead of schedule and sat in their cars until the date was set to begin. 

Fortunately, the hours that followed proved to be worth the wait. Their conversation ran the gamut from typical first-date fare to topics a bit more stretching, like international politics. But the simple fact they could both converse on that level was an indication they were well-matched — as was the fact that following that first date, never more than a few days went by without them seeing one another. 

“Things were pretty serious pretty fast,” Stacey notes.

So serious, in fact, that he took her home that Thanksgiving to meet his family. And although they never exactly had a conversation defining their relationship, they did have an unspoken understanding of their status. 

“I think at one point I told her I’d ‘girlfriended’ her on Facebook,” Kyle says. “So it was official.” 

As the months went by, it was time for him to meet her family, as well, which he had the opportunity to do at her grandpa’s 80th birthday party in West Virginia the following July. It was obvious he hit it off with everyone, given how her uncle’s eyes lit up when he found Kyle could converse on World War II and how her aunts warned Stacey she’d better hold onto him. 

Really, that’s what she intended to do, and the feeling was mutual. Both could see marriage as a possibility at that point and decided to test the waters by moving in together in August 2015, just shy of the first anniversary of their first date.

stacey + kyle

- Cupid's arrow makes an awesome match -

By Erin Wisdom-Watson

“I think that we're enough alike but
also enough different that it works.”

In September, they celebrated that first year together with yet another milestone: buying a camper. This may not be a traditional way to observe a dating anniversary but was one that made sense for them, given that they had three dogs between them — including Titan, Kyle’s dog whom Stacey describes as “110 pounds of baby” — and struggled to make arrangements for them whenever they traveled. 

The camper was Stacey’s suggestion initially, and a casual one at that. But she had an inkling Kyle had taken it seriously when she came home three days later to find a new truck, which she knew right away was intended to pull a recreational vehicle. 

Although there may have been an element of impulse in these purchases, they didn’t come with buyer’s remorse. Rather, the camper hugely alleviated the stress that used to come with traveling and having to leave their dogs behind. And this ability to pack up the whole family as needed came in especially handy after Kyle accepted a job in St. Louis in March of 2016. 

Stacey joined him there in May, but given that they’d already purchased tickets for concerts and other events in Kansas City for the rest of the year, being able to travel back frequently was a must. And before long, they’d add wedding planning to the list of reasons they’d need to get back to the city where their story started. 

But first, of course, came a proposal. Kyle ordered a ring in the summer of 2016 and knew Stacey would be expecting him to present it during a trip they’d planned to Kansas City — so he opted instead to propose a few days before they left, on a boat tour in St. Louis. 

Unfortunately, the tour was canceled due to rain. But not willing to accept a rain delay of his most important plan, Kyle ensured they still went out for a nice dinner that July 13, 2016, and took a walk afterward. It ended, appropriately, at the Gateway Arch, which he saw as the perfect place to pop the question that would be the gateway to their future. 

The weather continued to present challenges, though, in that the heavy raincoat it required Kyle to wear made it difficult to pull the ring box from his pocket. Stacey’s first indication something was up was the rustling noise as he worked to retrieve it, before wrapping his arms around her from behind and presenting the ring along with a “Hey, marry me.” 

“I was in shock for a couple of days,” Stacey says — although of course, this didn’t keep her from accepting his proposal. 

They began planning their wedding right away but kept the details to themselves for a while, wanting to have a few things set in stone before sharing them with anyone. Finally, over Labor Day weekend, they had their families over and took the opportunity to reveal the date they’ll say “I do”: September 9, 2017. 

They’ll mark the start of their next chapter with a book-themed wedding that will include a ceremony at the Kansas City Public Library, followed by a reception at The Guild. They look forward to celebrating at these venues and, especially, to sharing the day with friends and family from around the country and even beyond. 

They have a lot to look forward to in life after their wedding, as well, including a honeymoon that will likely be only the start of their travels as a married couple. They plan to continue working toward their goal to visit every state in the U.S. (with their dogs in tow, of course) — but are also just as excited for their everyday life at home, even in things as simple as reading or watching TV or tackling a home improvement project together. 

Really, they know life will be good as long as they’re with each other, enjoying the dynamic that made them click from the start. 

“I think that we’re enough alike but also enough different that it works,” Stacey notes. 

Kyle adds that among the things he appreciates about her is her humor (“I think she’s funny,” he says, to which she proves his point with her quick reply: “I think he thinks he’s funny ... He has a lot of dad-type jokes”). 

What maybe stands out the most to him, though, is how passionate she is about the things that matter to her — and of course, he’s lucky enough to count himself at the top of that list. 

“The things she cares about, she cares a lot about,” he says.