.

Honestly, we met in a bar. It was May 2012 and I had just moved to England two weeks prior. A mutual friend introduced us at the Galaxy Club on RAF Mildenhall. The things I remember most about that evening are Hunter's hat (he was wearing a fedora), several rounds of darts, and Kris Cocciolo winning a few hundred on the slot machines. I saw Hunter about a week later in the dining facility on base. I was heading out to one of the local towns, Bury St. Edmunds, and asked if he wanted to join - of course he said yes. We instantly became best friends, spending most of our free time together. I remember him going on a 4 day vacation to Sicily in the beginning of July. I was so exited to hang out again that I Googled the return flights from Sicily in an attempt to gauge what time he'd be home. I was pleasantly surprised when he called several hours sooner than expected. We had our first date in Cambridge, England on 14 July 2012.

Then there's my version... Yes, I was wearing that cool hat the night we met. A mutual friend wanted to introduced us so I walked up to say hi and the first few things I noticed about Ashlee that night was her really cool short hair, a big smile full of braces and her gorgeous brown eyes, which I couldn't stop staring into. I was instantly glued and wanted to know more about this girl who made the room glow. We became friends shortly after and for about 2 months, which seemed like a lifetime, I was fighting off dorky guys. Ashlee was not easy to get close to, so I would do things to let her know that I liked her more than just friends, such as bring wine and a movie over to her dorm room or always looking out for her. After I finally had the best first kiss of my life, I was in love. We've gone on a lot of adventures together throughout the years and I can't see my life without her. When my dad first met Ash he said, "Don't mess this up for us." I promise I won't, dad.

A few weeks after meeting each other, we decided to take a trip to Calais, France. It was the beginning of June and the weather was lovely. As a result, we decided to take our bikes into Calais instead of a vehicle. We loaded our bikes, fueled up the car, and headed toward Dover around 5am where we'd catch a ferry. Everything went smoothly...until it didn't. Unaware of any tolls along the way, we had no change to pay the toll. A nice policeman escorted us to the nearest exit where I thought he was leading us to an ATM. Wrong. He turned us around and sent us back across the bridge. We stopped at a nearby gas station and spent 20 minutes trying to get £1.50. The ATM wouldn't take our cards, the gas station didn't allow money back, and most Brits have no use for American dollars. The station attendant called us over and gave us the change we needed in order to pay the toll. FINALLY! We were on our way. NOT! We get back to the car and it doesn't start. After an HOUR of fiddling with the battery, driving short distances only to have the car immediately die, and calling to reschedule the ferry, it hit me. I look over at Hunter and ask if he put petrol in the car. He did. It was a diesel. I must have laughed for a solid 5 minutes. Hunter bought a gas can (as we were no longer at the pump) and filled the car with diesel. After letting the car run for a short while, we drove back to the pumps, filled the gas can with extra gas, and thanked everyone who had helped during our "breakdown." FINALLY - for real this time - we were on our way to Dover once more. After about 45 minutes, Hunter looks over at me and says "I don't think I paid for the second can of gas." I immediately phoned the gas station and informed them of the mishap and that we would return on Sunday to settle the outstanding balance. We kept our word and returned on Sunday to settle our outstanding balance; however, there was no record of our debt and we weren't required to pay for the can of gas.

Ok, first off, I shouldn't have driven that day. We had a few drinks the night before and I slept maybe 4 hours that night. So I thought nothing of it when I put 87 octane in my diesel car. Thank God the thank was half full that morning and we had just enough diesel to get us to the next gas station. It was a disaster and I was really embarrassed. Ashlee got to see my frustration and she just laughed. That was a relief because I wanted to impress her and the day was not starting off on an impressive note. We finally got back on the road to Dover, arrived, parked the car, and hurriedly biked to the ticket booth. I then realized that I left my phone in the car so I rode back to the car only to find out that I had left the car unlocked! My life felt like it was in shambles at this point. I almost gave up but I grabbed my phone, locked the door, and was determined to spin the day around for the better. We docked in France and rode our bikes off into a foreign country. Sounds awesome, right? We quickly realized that no one spoke English and we have no easy way of finding our hotel. We asked several locals while looking over a map. Finally, after riding around the entire town and right as it started to rain, we found our hotel. We were exhausted. The up side? The room only had one giant bed. Mind you, we had only kissed once before the trip and were still just friends at that time. Ashlee actually suggested getting another room but I laughed and said "No, it's ok, I'll sleep on the furthest side of the bed, no worries." We had a blast that night eating, drinking, and exploring a new place for the first time together. It was very romantic and an exciting experience for both of us. Soon after our trip to France, I asked her out on an official date. Since those adventures, I have been the happiest man in the world. She's my best friend and I love experiencing life with her.

Nothing happened!

So it was hard keeping a secret in a cabin full of Werhanes. Let's just say that Ashlee had her suspicions. I asked Tad for Ashlee's hand in marriage during a cool, early morning fishing trip. She could tell something was going on so she confronted Tad a few days later. Slowly, the entire family found out. Well, you could imagine everyones awkwardness the next day. I knew I had to ask her soon before she found out. After dinner, Ashlee and I took the boat for a ride around the lake and drank wine. When we returned to the cabin, everyone started cheering and pouring champagne. The only problem was, I hadn't ask her yet! I gave everyone a look like NOT YET GUYS! I quickly asked Ashlee to come to the dock to take pictures as the sun was setting. That's when I asked her. She teared up and was filled with happiness and said "Yes." The family was cheering and pouring champaign. I knew that from that day forward, my life was complete.

Technically, it was the box's box. I had been deep cleaning the apartment while Hunter was at work. He didn't really hide it in a super secret location. It was in a storage box which held his smaller canvases. As I was putting some of his art supplies away, there it was. A Riddle's box that was clearly not meant to be found. I froze. I couldn't stand it - I HAD to look. I opened the box to find this beautiful mahogany ring box. I took it out and ran to the bathroom, locking the doors behind me. I must have sat in the bathroom, heart racing, anywhere between 10 minutes and 300 hours. I finally opened it and....nothing! No ring. I carefully placed everything back where I had found it and just waited. Fast forward a week or two and we are in Ontario. I had this feeling that he was going to ask during that trip. I had to tell someone so I swore my cousin Sarah to secrecy and told her everything I knew thus far. After several days, I decided to talk to my dad about everything. Mainly because IF it was a ring box and IF Hunter WAS going to ask for my hand in marriage, I wanted to know my dad supported the idea. Now, my dad made two things very clear: 1) he loves Hunter; 2) he had no idea what the hell I was talking about. At that moment, I doubted everything. What if the box was an earring box? What if it was a birthday gift he bought early? What if it was something for his mom or sisters? The day Hunter asked me to marry him, almost everyone was acting a little strange. Between the questionable weather and my uncle Randy unknowingly spending hours pressure washing the very spot Hunter wanted to pop the question, it somehow all worked out. Hunter and I returned from our mini boat trip and caught my family pouring champagne. Their excuse? To celebrate the fact I completed my real estate course. Suspicions were on the rise. To say I teared up is a understatement. I was crying like a baby. I will never forget that moment - it was absolutely perfect. I love you, Hunter.