In the Beginning

We attended Georgia Tech for our undergraduates. Liz majored in History, Science, and Technology and Billy majored in Electrical Engineering. But we were very plutonic back during these days, rarely having a conversation.

Billy: "When I came in as a freshman, Liz was already a sophmore. And both me and all my friends thought Liz was older than us because she always hung out with upperclassmen. So I just assumed she was out of my league. Come to find out years later in 2012 once we start dating that Liz and I have been the same age the whole time! I never knew!"

Liz: "I didn’t know him well, but I certainly knew who Billy Kihei was. It seemed like he was always in the middle of things, cracking jokes, putting on a show, and for some reason, showing off his abs. I just thought he was a goofy guy with big ears. However, I started to notice that Billy was handsome and smart when he was in graduate school and I was working full-time for the university. I still thought he was goofy though, lol."

Far Away Places

While still VERY plutonic, Liz leaves for Japan to teach English and Billy prepares to begin his Masters. But during this time, they speak briefly about two times with each other over Skype.

Liz: “As a consequence of my restlessness and insatiable wanderlust, I packed up and headed to Japan for three years. It was one of the best decisions I ever made, but at times, it was tough and lonely, so I found myself on social media a lot, trying to stay connected with home. One day, Billy posted something that made me think he was on the verge of a quarter-life crisis, so I recommended one of the books I’d read in my small group with church. Two weeks later he messaged me on Skype to tell me he’d read and enjoyed the book, and that sparked an occasional dialog about how we’re doing in our spiritual lives. There aren’t many Christians in Japan, so these brief, sporadic chats were very meaningful to me. Too bad Billy doesn’t remember them!

Billy: "Actually, I do remember them, sort of...lol. The book she recommended is called: Love, Sex, and Lasting Relationships by Chip Ingram. It is a Christian relationship book that explains how the LORD set up marriages to be. How fitting? Looking back it was very prophetic!"

One Sweet Day

After traveling all over Asia and avoiding a devestating earthquake, Liz returns from Japan to begin her life all over again, and Billy has since graduated and was working at Lockheed Martin during the day and making music with the best hip-hop group ever: The Heroes, at night.

Liz contacts Billy to grab some lunch on Labor Day and picnic at Peidmont Park. And they meet up in midtown Atlanta, GA where the fateful meeting occurs.

Billy: "I had no idea why Liz Burnett was hitting me up to hang out. I actually completely forgot about her. Lol, but I finally reasoned with myself, eh, why not. Let me tell you, when we met, the first thing I noticed were her eyes, then her hair, and then when she got out of the car all I could think about was that flat stomach she had showing her belly button! Wuu!"

Liz: “When I was back from Japan and saw Billy online, I asked if we wanted to catch up in-person this time. I didn’t really think much of it, I just thought it would be cool to develop a genuine friendship. We were both free on labor day, so we agreed to meet at Billy’s favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch. When I pulled into the parking lot, I saw a REALLY good looking guy in jeans and a tight t-shirt digging around in the back of the truck. I almost broke my neck to get a look at that guy’s face, but when he got down from the truck he turned and waved at me. IS THAT BILLY KIHEI?!?!? Time was GOOD to him! As I parked the car, my heart started beating fast and my palms got sweaty - I was nervous and in trouble!

To make a long story short, we took our food out and had a picnic at Piedmont Park. We sat and talked for 4 hours about everything. I knew something about Billy was different, and I was curious to learn more.”

First Date

Star Light Drive-In Movie Theatre

Liz: "At the picnic, we agreed to meet at Starlight Drive-In to catch a movie. Honestly, I wasn’t sure it was a date, but my brother said no guy invites a pretty girl to the movies as a friend, so I put on a cute dress just in case. Lucky I did, because Billy got out the car with a bouquet of flowers, and had prepared a full candlelit dinner, complete with spam musubi!"

Billy: "I left work ealry, to go prepare the meal for that date. I was scrambling to get the dinner made, complete with candles a small table, full plates and a GT cup to hold the flowers. I was so nervous the whole time, but we had so much fun and thankfully the date was a success, complete with a good night kiss and holding hands."

A Couple is Born a.k.a Best Birthday Ever!

Billy: "This day was so much fun and special for us. We talked about everything under the sun and got to learn more about each other. In the photo pictured, at this very moment, I knew Liz was my girl."

Liz: "Billy is great at planning surprises. For my 27th birthday, he picked me up at my house early in the morning, made me put on blindfold-glasses, and took me for a surprise cooking lession at Cook’s Warehouse. I had always wanted to take a cooking lesson so I was very excited. Looking across the kitchen at a handsome guy cooking was icing on the cake - I felt like I was in a movie! The food was great, and when he brought me home, he showed me the final surprise: Billy had coordinated for all my co-workers in Japan to make a video letter for my birthday! This sealed the deal for me; guys like Billy don’t come around often, so I knew I had to take him seriously, because he wasn’t playing around."

Adopting a Puppy

Billy: "Around this time, I wanted to adopt a cat so we went to the largest adoption fair in the southeast. It was there that Liz saw Bowser for the first time from like 50ft away, and it was love at first sight. Since we got Bowser, we've done nothing but grow together."

Liz: "Billy and I went to an adoption fair so he could get a cat, but when I saw Bowser across the room it was love at first sight! In the beginning, this loser chewed up my shoes, pooped on my floor, and generally drove me nuts, but he's also the [first] best decision Billy and I made. I can't imagine life without BOTH of my boys."

The Proposal

After dating for 2 years, Billy proposes to Liz at Lullwater Park in Atlanta, GA. Family and friends come from out of town to celebrate.

Check out the Proposal Page for more information.

Our Wedding Day

As we prepare, we can't wait until this day. We are looking forward to this!