8.31.25

Tim grew up in Friendswood, Texas surrounded by a loving family and good friends. After graduating high school, Tim partook in two thru-hikes: a thousand-ish mile trek on the Appalachian Trail and a two-thousand-ish mile jaunt on the Pacific Crest Trail. After walking dozens of miles day after day, Tim decided that sitting in a nice air conditioned room and reading a bunch of interesting books sounded like a much better idea, and so he devoted all his time and energy to academics. First, he graduated summa cum laude at Alvin Community College and then did the same at the University of Houston. Thanks to the excellent advice of his advisors, Tim thereafter pursued a Ph.D. at Southern Methodist University, receiving his doctorate in 2024 and started as an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Tyler soon after. When not diligently typing away on the keyboard, Tim enjoys spending his days reading fantasy and sci-fi books. Some of his favorites include Dungeon Crawler Carl, Cradle, and The Forever War. To decompress after a long day, Tim also enjoys gardening with Younky as they attempt to transform their formerly muddy backyard into a botanical garden. Because of how intelligent Younky is, Tim also very much enjoys playing her in competitive games like Team Fight Tactics, Hive, and Wingspan. Tim has learned better than to play his partner in certain games like Catan or anything memory-related because she crushes him without mercy. Despite this, Tim considers himself incredibly lucky to have found a reliable, compassionate, and supportive, partner.

Once upon a time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, there lived a girl named Younkyoung. Growing up, she was a tough, bright, funny girl with a big personality. All through highschool, Younky was very focused on getting good grades and going to business school for college. She was very active at sports and spent many mornings and nights all year round in a pool practicing swimming (I know how ridiculous) and water polo. When not in the pool or studying, Younky loved spending her time with her friends and family, it didn’t matter what they were doing as long as they were together. But the best of days were spent doing harmless pranks, dance battles in the living room, cooking competitions, and fawning over celebrities that have mostly been cancelled today. Younky got into the McCombs School of Business and followed her older sister Meekyoung to Austin, Texas to study Accounting. Her first job after college was in Dallas and she found herself in a new city making new friends, strengthening old ones, and soon after building a life together with Tim and their dog Leo. She spent her days exploring the nooks and crannies of DFW with her friends, exchanging stories laughing and bonding over a table of shared delicious food and wine, or cozied up on a couch with Tim and Leo watching their favorite shows and movies. She now spends her days diving into new hobbies such as cooking, gardening, streaming video games, and DIY home projects.

Tim and Younkyoung met for the first time virtually in the summer of 2020, the height of the pandemic, through the online dating app, Hinge. Tim immediately asked Younky to meet in person at Tim’s community garden plot for their first date which consisted of walking through rows of towering sunflowers and sprawling squash and simply talking for hours. Younky was for the first time not anxious or nervous around someone for the first date and was so enthralled and curious to get to know Tim more. Tim felt instantly comfortable and intrigued by this beautiful and brainy woman. Plans for a second date were quickly made and Younky got to pick the activity, unlike most typical people’s recommendations for a second date, a run around White Rock Lake followed a few days later. Some of their earliest memories of the relationship include Younky diligently helping Tim practice tennis; going rock climbing together at Summit gym; long runs together with their precious boy, Leo; eating chicken BBQ pizza while religiously watching TV shows such as Adventure Time, Game of Thrones, and Rick and Morty; and laughing incredibly hard at movies like the Emperor’s New Groove and Freaky Friday or binging Miyazaki movies. One month after meeting, Younky and Tim had their first trip together to Palo Duro Canyon outside of Amarillo. After hiking and spray painting some Cadillacs at the Cadillac Ranch, the pair treated themselves to some margaritas. It was an excellent trip. Since then, the couple has gone on a wide array of trips, including a recent journey to South Korea which they consider to be their most enjoyable. Before the wedding, the couple are planning another trip to Montana where Younky will guide Tim around Glacier National Park. In 2022, Tim and Younky rented a house in Lewisville together, living there for almost a year, they decided that they wanted to make it more permanent and purchased their first home in Highland Village, Texas where they currently live and are in the never-ending, but fun, process of renovations. In the future, the couple is looking to start a family adding a fourth to their current family of three. On June 1, 2024, Tim proposed to Younky at Grapevine Lake, taking her back to the location where they first went hiking together. It had rained all the week prior and water levels rose so high flooding the surrounding areas of the lake and many of the trails. This did not stop Tim from trailblazing the area and finding a secluded and private spot to ask Younky to marry him. The couple picked out a rose bush for each other and planted them in their garden to memorialize their day. Soon after saying ‘Yes’, the couple could not wait to make it official and together they decided to elope at the courthouse, just the two of them, and have their perfect day. On the morning of October 10, 2024 they exchanged vows in private and then headed to the Denton Courthouse, accompanied by their photographer, Annie Austin, to exchange rings. The couple celebrated with breakfast at their favorite place at the Denton square and then picked out fruit trees to plant in their backyard to remember that day.