I never expected my first blog post on Art Science Wonder to be about this!!!!!! But we knew we wanted to document these memories —not just for ourselves, but for the people who were there with us, cheering us on and our future kids!!! ~^*^~
Since the proposal happened in front of so many friends and familiar faces at the FIESTA community, we thought it would be fitting to share not just that moment, but also how we met and what we’ve learned along the way—as a keepsake for us, and a way to keep the celebration going!!!
So here it is—our story and a few pieces of our heart. 💛
If you missed the proposal—it was epic. 🥹💍
We’ve had so much fun (and cried plenty of happy tears) editing everything, and we ended up putting together two videos and one photo slideshow, each showing a different side of that night:
💍 The Proposal That Left Me Speechless (Alternate Cut)
This version is more intimate and emotionally focused. It highlights the natural transitions in Will’s speech and really captures the heart of the moment.
🎥 The Extended Cut
This one includes extra little moments and behind-the-scenes clips that didn’t make it into the first version.
🥹 My Reactions & Internal Thoughts (Photo Slideshow)
…and here are the stills from that night with my internal thoughts, and reactions I was having as it all sank in! 🥹💛
How We Met, Will’s perspective:
The night we met
I met Kira at FIESTA. I met a prior employer at FIESTA. Bottom line, I’ve met several important connections at FIESTA, and more generally, I feel that FIESTA is the epicenter of the Austin tech startup community I’ve been so involved in.
The night we met was pretty normal, I suppose. I was there with my friend Ryan Atkinson that night, and Kira walked up to us — or maybe we walked up to her—we can’t remember which. Kira was talking about the laser light therapy device she was working on at her job and about desalinating the ocean, and I talked about my own ventures. I was interested in her immediately. She was the full package of intellect, personality, and looks.
We connected on LinkedIn and split, but we were both still there talking to people until the FIESTA crew had to kick us out. I was pleased to see her still there and approached her again. This time, while she was talking, it occurred to me, and I said to her abruptly: “You’re incredible.”
Kira was flattered. We continued to talk and there was lots of chemistry on both sides. The night ended with me walking her to her car and exchanging numbers. We called and set up our first date that night.
I remember telling my dad on the phone a few weeks later about Kira. I said, “I think this one is going to be around for a while!” Based on our compatibility, I knew early on that there was a good chance that she’d be the one. We both loved nature, had small-town roots, and a techno-futurist focus. We were actually both reading a similar book about Nikola Tesla when we met. We were also in the same communities – we had many mutual friends and acquaintances based around the Capital Factory scene. Our relationship fit like a glove.
2 years 5 months later
With excitement to start a family together, the time was right to take our relationship to that next level. I prepared feverishly for my pitch and proposal, wishing I could confide in the girl who I’ve gotten used to telling everything to.
Finally, pitch day comes around, that secret still burning inside of me. I got up on stage, crushed my pitch, and surprised the audience by inviting Kira up with me afterward. “We met right over there by that pole,” I pointed out. The crowd laughed. “You’ve stood by my side ever since,” I continued. “You’ve been my girlfriend, my sweetheart, and now I’m making you my wife.”
The moment was electric—surrounded by old friends, new faces, and a community that means the world to us. The crowd roared, Kira melted, and I’ve never felt energy like that before. Friends and perfect strangers swarmed to hug and congratulate us, and the love in the room was overwhelming.
This proposal was months in the making, and it marks the start of a huge year ahead for us. A massive thank you to FIESTA for being where it all began, to Cherie and Jon, and everyone else who’s supported us along the way. We’re so grateful—keep the love coming!
How We Met, Kira’s Perspective:
On a magical night in 2022, I attended a wonderful event for entrepreneurs and innovators in the beautiful city of Austin. I had made it a habit to go to every single FIESTA I could, to be a part of this amazing community of entrepreneurs and innovators.
But even before this particular FIESTA began, I felt electric. I’d been trusting my intuition again—letting it guide me where and when to show up—and it was one of those nights that just felt enchanted, like I had taken liquid luck, and that life was really just special.
When Will and I first spoke, his confident, warm energy met my enthusiasm—there was an undeniable spark. After that first exchange at the event, we both hoped we’d get to talk again.
Luckily, near the end of the night, Will walked out of the large double doors and approached me again. As usual, I was in deep in conversation about science and the various projects I’ve worked on, dreamt up, or hoped to pursue one day. But as he and I continued our conversation, I’ll never forget this: He looked at me very intensely and said, “Wow, you’re INCREDIBLE.”
He walked me to my car that night. And not long after, we spoke on the phone—already wanting to talk again.
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We started going on regular dates at Epoch Coffee on North Loop. Will and I would talk for hours—about science, psychology, philosophy, and everything in between. We’d often end up sitting in one of our cars, completely absorbed in conversation until it was long past dark. The glowing Blue Velvet sign in the background always struck me—it made me feel like I was somehow both in the 1960s or ’70s and in a distant future all at once. It was surreal, but that strange duality of past and future somehow perfectly fit the hipster, timeless vibe of that part of Austin.
Speaking of surreal—on one of our very first dates, we discovered that we were both currently reading books about Nikola Tesla. I was reading Tesla: Inventor of the Modern by Richard Munson, diving into his life and scientific contributions. Will, meanwhile, was reading My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla. It was safe to say, we were already on the same wavelength… or Tesla coil? Either way, we were already wired for each other. ⚡💡
One of the many things that impressed me during those first dates—and something I’ll never forget—was how Will could recite speeches from memory, delivering monologues with a level of execution, that felt like watching one of the greats actually giving the speech. It was transporting. These were full, multi-page monologues—it felt like watching a character step out of a book, with the pages turning for every new segment. One of them was from My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla, about awakening your dormant powers of will and beginning to practice true self-control; another called “The Man in the Arena” by Theodore Roosevelt; and my personal two favorites—JFK’s, 10 minute long, “We Choose to Go to the Moon” speech, and A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
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Two Years later at the same event where we met, Will Cline got on stage, and recited two speeches, one for The Journaling Habit to launch the Beta and another speech he prepared in secret for two weeks, a proposal speech, to recite to me near the spot where we first met. 🚀🌕🐬
Before we go any further, I want to celebrate our story, and to share a few things we’ve learned on the road to becoming each other’s future.
Partnership is about the powerful lessons that come from choosing to listen, to forgive, and to keep improving for each other. It’s about what real love looks like in practice—not in fairy tales or filters but in the day-to-day effort of building something solid and long-lasting.
When two people get engaged, it’s the first moment they become a little family—a two-person family with the potential to become more. The woman says “Yes” to a life partner she can trust, and the man gets on his knee only once to ask for forever.
Modern dating is tough. One reason? We expect our partners to be perfect—and social media only amplifies that illusion. We are not perfect. I think it’s essential people understand this in the social media age. It's a lesson I’ve had to learn, too: Don’t let perfect get in the way of great, fantastic, or good. Expecting perfection is not love—it’s antithetical to building trust. That’s not partnership.
We’re human. We’re not perfect.
But you know what we are?
We are dedicated. We are committed. And most importantly, we’ve learned how to grow together.
💛 Some things I Love About Will:
Will is dedicated to his good habits.
He is the hardest and smartest working person
Most of the time, he is relentlessly positive. He has a gift for seeing beauty in the overlooked and magic in the ordinary everyday moments.
He is my number one supporter. Because of past relationships, I was paranoid about whether I could truly trust someone to be in my corner—even with Will at first. But time and time again, he has proven his unwavering support through his actions, encouragement, and belief in me. My dreams, growth, and happiness genuinely matter to him.
He’s deeply committed to building a family with me and being an incredible dad one day. And now, he’s dedicated to being an exceptional husband and is already taking daily steps and practices to ensure that he is. 💘🥹
But even if, against all odds, we couldn’t have children, he’d still choose me. 💍 Interesting Fact, I never even considered having children of my own until I met Will. I went from wanting zero to ideally four! So please wish us luck and lots of success in our careers! 🥰🤱
💛 Some Things I Love About Us:
We both read parenting books—individually and together—and we want to take parenting classes to prepare.
We make it a priority to work through tension and keep growing in how we communicate—especially during disagreements—because we never want our future children to feel the weight of unresolved emotions, harsh words, or tense tones between parents. This is deeply important to me. I couldn’t imagine having children with someone who didn’t value that—and thankfully, Will is fully committed to it.
We are dedicated to each other. When you commit to someone, you’re choosing them over and over again—even when it’s tough.
We genuinely understand that together we are greater than the sum of our parts, 1 & 1 is 3!
🫶On Friendship and Love
Once, I remember asking Will’s parents—who’ve been married for over three decades—if they had any advice for how to build a long-lasting and happy marriage. They looked at each other for a moment, and then his mom, Linda, said:
“Well… I think mainly we’ve always been friends.”
That moment stuck with us.
Lately, Will and I have been thinking more about what it really means to grow in friendship and stay friends through all the seasons of a relationship. Because ultimately, love can’t thrive without friendship. You can’t underestimate the power of being friends—of having that foundation of shared laughter, mutual respect, and emotional safety—even while you’re still actively building and maintaining it over time.
Friendship in a relationship gets tested, just like love does. That’s why forgiveness, space, grace, understanding, and not expecting perfection all matter so much. Friendship gives you room to mess up and grow, to disagree and still come back with love. It reminds you to stay curious about your partner, to speak honestly, and to laugh and collaborate often.
It’s easy to chase the high points in a relationship—the romance, the goals, the big milestones. But it’s friendship that carries you through the in-between moments and anchors you during the hard ones. And if you nurture that friendship, you’re not just loving each other—you’re choosing each other, again and again, as best friends for life.
The following is a mix of lessons we've learned, values we strive to live by, wisdom passed down to us, and ideas that we hope can help improve the modern dating experience.
🧠 Important Things to Do In Relationships:
Journal. After Will’s proposal, I went back through my old entries. The growth since we first met is indescribable. Some shifts happened so subtly—even hour by hour—that words don’t do them justice.
Take time to write down everything you think you know about your partner—including your hopes and concerns. I once wrote 20 pages on what I believed were Will’s core philosophies, worldview, and emotional patterns. When I shared it with him, I realized many concerns were just narratives I had created. In any relationship, there’s plenty of room for misunderstanding, and giving your partner the floor to give clarity in their own words can shift your entire perspective. This kind of exercise is worth it—and I’m so glad I did it.
Practice “relationship hygiene.” Will recently brought this up, and it stuck. He makes a habit of daily gratitude for me—something I want to mirror. Small habits make a strong foundation—things like weekly emotional check-ins, celebrating small wins, speaking appreciation and needs out loud (don’t assume they can read your mind), talking early—not after it festers—and owning your reactions.
Read relationship books. I highly recommend “The 7 Principles of Making Marriage Work.” The title might read like a dated self-help book collecting dust on a therapist’s shelf—or something your HR department would hand out—but it’s one of the most scientifically grounded relationship books I’ve encountered. The Gottman Institute’s research is anything but outdated; it’s solid.
Read parenting books—before becoming a parent. They help you understand your own psychology and family dynamics. Will especially recommends books written by parents of highly successful people. (We should post our reading lists soon!)
Always date your partner. We’ve learned firsthand that simply spending time together is not the same as intentional, quality time. We now go on dates at least once a week and write it down on a physical calendar to keep track.
📝 Important Things to Know About Relationships:
Habits are the foundation of family culture. The daily ways you show up for each other—how you speak, how you handle stress, how you give and receive love, all become the blueprint of culture in your new family. Even in a family of two, you’re already creating a culture so treat the subtle with care.
Masculine and feminine dynamics are subtle but powerful—and worth tending to over time. In a healthy heterosexual relationship, these energies don’t compete—they complement. A woman in her supportive, nurturing power can uplift her partner’s health, wealth, and confidence. And a good man, in his grounded strength, will help his partner feel safe, cherished, and confident in her own feminine way. Over time, tuning into and honoring these dynamics strengthens both individuals and creates a deeper partnership. This balance doesn’t just benefit the couple—it creates a stable emotional foundation that shapes the psychology and security of any future children who grow up witnessing it.
Don’t fall into hookup culture or the polyamorous trap if what you’re seeking is deep connection. Dating with intention creates the space for growth and meaningful life-building.
The good ones aren’t all taken—they’re created. Intentional love transforms ordinary people into extraordinary partners. When you walk through fire together and still choose love, you become “the good ones”.
Every long-term relationship goes through serious trials. There is courage and strength in two people deciding they will work together to stay together.
Sacrificing some independence is necessary—the point of a life partner is someone you can depend on.
Understand the value of building a family early. As time passes, it becomes undeniable that meaningful relationships are life’s greatest treasure. Don’t wait—be intentional and urgent about creating a life with someone you love. Life moves fast, and things like career or status pale in comparison to the love and legacy a family brings.
You can have a career and family both—Very wise friends of ours—who are also parents—recently shared something that stuck with us: you only have 24 hours in a day, and no matter how much you love your child, you can’t spend every moment with them. Instead, you can learn to compartmentalize. For example, you might divide your energy roughly: 25% on personal health and wellbeing, 25% on your career, 25% on your child, and 25% on your partner. The key is to give 100% of your presence to your partner and your child during the time you do spend with them—because that’s what fulfills them most.
In the end, a good life requires sacrifice; choosing love is one of the smartest sacrifices you’ll ever make.
There are many hero’s journeys in life, but becoming a worthy partner is the hero’s journey.
This is why we were all so impressed by Will’s speech—and why I said “Yes.”
Will went through a trial by fire—both at different times in his life and during our relationship—to earn that yes.
And he’s willing to bear the responsibility and keep walking through the fire—
—to be a good man, a good husband, and one day a good father.