June 12, 2026

Zach and Carly lived five minutes away from each other their entire lives. They were even in the same grade in school and a part of the same friend group. It wasn't until graduation day of high school that they became more than friends.

Two weeks after graduating high school, Zach left for Marine Corps boot camp. Although their new relationship had just started, it was only the beginning of their story. For the next three months, Zach and Carly wrote letters back and forth — the only contact they had with each other was through those letters a few times a week.

After a long summer of writing letters to each other, Carly flew down to Parris Island, South Carolina, with Zach’s family that she barely knew. They were reunited for a few short days before Carly returned home, and Zach flew to Camp Geiger, North Carolina, to attend further training. After a short few weeks in North Carolina, Zach flew to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he would remain for the next six months while Carly stayed home to attend school.

Zach finally returned home for the first time in six months. During the two weeks he was home, he and Carly didn’t spend a single day apart. During that time together, they expressed their love for each other and spent the holidays introducing each other to their families. After the first of the year, Zach flew back to Missouri.

After nine months apart, Zach returned home for good. They spent the rest of the spring attending Carly’s college classes, working together at Home Depot, and taking their first vacation to Hocking Hills.

Zach and Carly’s families took a joint vacation to Tennessee. During the trip, Zach proposed and asked Carly to marry him.

Over the next three years, Zach and Carly stayed busy as they slowly saved and planned their wedding. They vacationed in Tennessee multiple times, as well as in Hawaii and Niagara Falls. Zach attended drills once a month and traveled to California, Wisconsin, and New York through the military—all while attending classes with Carly at BGSU. Carly graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in May 2025 and now works as a night shift MedSurg nurse. Zach is eagerly awaiting his own graduation with a bachelor’s degree in December 2025.