Cuteness comes in all forms.

Some couples always hold hands when walking. Others finish each other’s sentences. Others just start talking and realize they never want to be apart.

That was the case with Kirsten and Dustin Root, winners of our 2012 Cutest Couple contest.

Kirsten and Dustin met 10 years ago while working at Petaluma Valley Hospital. He was a security guard; she a nursing assistant. Their shifts tended to coincide and before long the two were chatting.

“We started talking and just kind of knew we were going to be together,” recalls Kirsten, 31. “He was really sweet, very kind and we totally hit it off.”

Dustin recalls the relationship between the two just friendly until Kirsten told him she might be getting transferred to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

“I thought to myself, ‘She’s not going to be around,’” says Dustin, 32. “So I asked her out.”

The couple began dating and two years later had a daughter. They married in 2005 and move to Southern California where Dustin’s family lives. But then Kirsten got a job with disability nonprofit Easter Seals and returned to Petaluma. The couple thought that Dustin, who was working as a police officer, could get transferred closer to home. But the plan didn’t work and the two spent their first year living apart, although made the 500-mile trek to visit Kirsten every weekend.

A year later, Dustin was able to get a job in the area and now works for Sonoma County Animal Control Services. 

Today, Kirsten and Dustin have two children (a son was born in 2007) and are focusing on raising a family. And they have this advice for couples wondering about what magic ingredient is required to make a romance last.

“Marriage is a two-way support system,” Dustin says. “Men and women see problems differently, but you should try to see where they’re coming from. It’s been six years and we are still learning. You have problems, you tackle them, then it pops up down the road. So it’s good to engage and listen and learn from one another.”

Kirsten says the most important thing is treating each other with respect.

“The most important thing is to always apologize and be kind to each other,” she says. “ And ask for help when you need it.” 

Congratulations Dustin and Kirsten and happy Valentine’s Day to all Petaluma couples.