“Let’s Stay Together” (longest running relationship)
Living proof love can last a lifetime, Joe and Evalyn Carstens are the winners of the “Let’s Stay Together” award. The couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on Jan. 10, 2025. The Carstens were nominated by Suzanne Gerloff. Congratulations to Joe and Evalyn!
“Love is a Beautiful Thing” (cutest couple)
Travis and Mandy Mobley have been married since 1994. The Mobleys were nominated for the “Love is a Beautiful Thing” award by Alicia Mobley. Congratulations to Travis and Mandy!
“Can’t Help Falling in Love” (best how-we-met story)
Chris and Kaylene Reidinger are the winners of the “Can’t Help Falling in Love” award. Congratulations to Chris and Kaylene! Here’s their story in full.
Kalene had lived in Meeker since 2006 but had visited Meeker her entire life since her grandparents, Tee and Nina Mintz, lived on a ranch west of town. Chris moved here after Christmas 2012 to work as the engineer for White River Electric. In early January 2013, Chris discovered cross-country skiing at Marvine Creek. Both Chris and Kalene went to the monthly moonlight ski gathering in February. Chris came by himself. Kalene came with her church friends Bob and Susie Eggebraaten. It was Kalene’s second moonlight ski. As Chris was new to town, he was just trying to get to know everyone and had a short conversation with nearly everyone in the group, including Kalene.
After the ski, Chris and Kalene became friends on Facebook, and Kalene invited Chris to a weekly professional singles’ dinner that met every Friday evening and alternated between Ma Famiglia and Hollidays. Chris came whenever he was in town. In May, Kalene invited Chris to a music night at her church and they ended up chatting for quite awhile after everyone left. In June, Kalene joined Chris on a conquest of Sleepycat Peak. They spent the 4th of July together and enjoyed conversation over smoothies from Wendll’s on a hot day after the parade.
Summer was busy, but Kalene and Chris stayed in touch. Since they worked a block from each other, they decided in early August to start walking during their lunch break. Kalene and Chris had both been busy with family in town, and they realized that they had missed each other. So on Thursday, Aug. 8, Chris bought a card and flowers and carefully hid them in a backpack. Kalene and Chris walked across the river and up the hill past the cemetery to the last black bench on the overlook trail. They sat down and Chris presented the card and flowers and asked Kalene to be his girlfriend. Kalene said yes, and the happy couple walked back down the hill and went to work, overjoyed.
For the rest of the summer and the fall, Kalene and Chris spent time together enjoying community events such as Meekerpalooza and the Sheepdog Trials and went hiking and watched movies and had dinner dates as often as possible. By November they were ring shopping.
On the evening of Dec. 13, Chris invited Kalene to ski up to the yurt at Marvine Creek. That afternoon, Jan and Denver Hayes set up the yurt with flowers and candles and lit the wood stove and made the place cozy for the happy couple. Denver and Jan were able to finish their work and leave before Kalene and Chris arrived at the parking area, so the secret would be kept. As they approached the yurt from a distance, Kalene was a little surprised that the yurt was lit up. When Kalene saw the flowers and candles, she thought this was quite the date, and it would be hard for Chris to outdo this. Still, Chris played it cool and kept the surprise a secret. Kalene and Chris enjoyed a meal and sparkling cider and chocolate-covered strawberries and enjoyed a photo book of their relationship to date. Then Chris retrieved the ring out of his backpack, got down on one knee, and asked the question. Kalene said “Yes, a million times Yes!” The happy couple skied back to the truck and drove home in lightly falling snow through moonlight, and began the journey of a lifetime. They were married the next summer on July 26, 2014, on Kalene’s grandparents’ ranch.