Grace and Frederick met while they were both working at Lennox in the Product Development and Research group in 2019. Grace started there in May and Frederick joined the next month. They were in the same orientation class where Frederick learned that Grace had already, in the 6 weeks she had been with the company, become the captain of the 42 dominoes team for the Corporate Challenge competition. Frederick was excited to join the team so he could improve his 42 skills, particularly for family reunions. Grace had never played 42 before, but that’s a story for another time.
Grace and Frederick got to know each other during dominoes practices and other work events and eventually Grace invited Frederick to come out dancing with her and her friends since Frederick was new to Dallas! Coincidentally, all of Grace’s friends backed out at the last minute, and what was meant to be a group get-together quickly turned into something much closer to a date… Shortly after, Grace had another friend convienently back out of a “group outing” to the State Fair of Texas which, yet again, left Grace and Frederick in a situation that felt very much like a date! They spent the day together and even split an ice cream before making a mad dash across the park in the pouring rain as a tornado blew into the city. They took a bus, train, Lyft, and a car to get home that night.
A few weeks later they decided to have a proper first date and had Tex-Mex at Pappasito’s!
After a few more months of dominoes during lunch at work and hangouts watching movies and meeting friends, they decided to “officially” start dating after a day out at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum for Grace’s 25th birthday in 2020.
They dated for another four and a half years during which they met each other’s families, went to church, traveled, attended weddings and funerals, and learned how to love and support each other.
In the summer of 2024 Frederick talked to Grace’s family about proposing. Grace’s aunt offered the ring Grace’s grandmother had worn. Frederick proposed on November 16th, 2024, under the twinkle lights in the Bishop Arts District in downtown Dallas. Grace said yes, of course!