Depending on how you know us, you may or may not be surprised that I (Ashley) made the first move. We had met up on a night out with friends and someone told me he was single so the next day I reached out. We have been inseparable ever since. We have always had a close, easy-going bond from the very beginning. Everything feels easy and natural, and I owe that all to Sam's personality. If anyone knows Sam, he is calm, understanding, easy-going, always willing to go the extra mile for others. My personality is very similar to that in regards to willing to help others but not so much in the calm aspect. Okay, and the easy-going aspect- definitely not me. We have fun no matter what we do such as going to the grocery store, doing a puzzle, going for a walk, etc. For the first two years of our relationship, we had to do distance (me in Grand Forks and Fargo, Sam in Bemidji) and man did that suck. We had to text, call, and Facetime during the week. We tried to see each other as much as we could on the weekends. There were some months where we only saw each other once which often put a strain on our relationship. But we always say, if we could get through that, we can get through anything. And we can! It has given our relationship more understanding and patience. We are excited for whatever life decides to throw at us next! We are so ready and happy for our next adventures together.

I had a feeling this was coming for a while, we talked about it all the time (and by we, I mean me). Sam being the gentleman that he is, called both my parents to ask permission to marry me. And both said YES with no hesitation. Sam took me to Bemidji State Park, where we go all the time, so it didn't feel out of the ordinary for him to ask me to go for a walk there. We went to the balcony spot that overlooks the water (one of our favorite spots) and that is where Sam asked me to marry him! He asked if he wants me to get down on his knee, which was not surprising because he is not super sappy, and I said I didn't care. I was just happy to be getting a ring at this point! I said YES YES YES and he put it on my finger. The best proposal I could have asked for, it was perfect in every way.