30 Jun 2025 Couple of the Month: Cristian and Genesis Taylor
HIS STORY:
I am a hardworking family man, and an outdoors person.
native of: I was born in Hot Springs and grew up in Kingsland (Cleveland County).
Training/military service: I started my career in the Army as an Aviation Refueler for nine years, then transitioned to the Air Force to begin my career as a Loadmaster.
Work: I work at the 189th Airlift Wing with the training squadron as a Loadmaster.
Why did you choose military service? I wanted to serve my country.
Special interests: I enjoy golfing, grilling, computer technology, fishing and mud riding.
What do you love about the 501? The mountains are amazing. The lakes are clear and beautiful, and the woodlands are great for outdoorsmen.
HER STORY:
I would say I’m very outgoing, a big family person and love being outdoors.
native of: Brandon, Miss., and graduated from Puckett High School.
Children: We have three kids; my oldest is Novalie. Next is Elias, who will be 4 soon. The baby of the family is Levi, who is as happy as can be.
Training/military service: I started my Air Force journey in 2013 after high school. I joined as a Personnel Apprentice and made my way into the recruiting world in 2017. Twelve years have gone by, and it has been the best decision I’ve made to this day. My journey in the military has taken me all over the world, from Japan to Germany and even Korea. I plan on retiring from the military!
Work: I’m currently a Production Recruiter for the 189th Airlift Wing and have been doing this for about six years. I love seeing others change their lives and begin their journey in joining the military.
Why did you choose military service? I knew I wanted to join when I was younger. I wanted to make something different of myself and loved the fact that I can serve my country while making bigger goals for myself.
Special interests: Some of my hobbies would include outdoor hiking, going out on the lake and traveling.
Honors: I would say one thing that I can be proud of is the number of hours that I’ve put into our Honor Guard events, from doing small events in our Wing to going out and doing events for the state.
What do you love about the 501? I love the community and the outdoor living! There is so much to see and so much to do.
THEIR STORY:
Our love story began in the fall of 2018. We were both separately hiking Pinnacle Mountain that day and ended up crossing paths. We kept in touch for a while afterwards and started hanging out more. After spending some time together, we decided to start dating in April 2020. We went through quarantine together and spent our time riding our side by side and being on the lake. We have three kids altogether. Our oldest is Novalie, Elias is our middle child and our last baby is Levi. Everything we do is for them! Cristian served in the Army and was finally convinced to transfer to the Air Force side. We now both serve for the 189th Airlift Wing on Little Rock Air Force Base and hope to see bigger things in the future for both our careers. Through the ups and downs, we choose each other day in and day out. On Mother’s Day in 2024, we were engaged. We had our wedding this year in April for our fifth anniversary, and it ended up being the worst weather weekend of the year! We still danced the night away and were surrounded by so many loved ones. Our highlight of the night was being able to hold our little ones on such a big day. We love the little family we have created and still spend our time outdoors and on the lake. We are so blessed to be able to give them all we can and hope to have a life filled with love and happiness.
