We are married! Celebrate with us on July 31, 2021.

Jake and I met at Hamburg High School through mutual friends, Lee Bemiller and Jessie DeMarco (two of my bridesmaids). The three of them had been friends since middle school. I would keep an eye out for Jake in school at his usual lunch table across the cafeteria. I knew he was smart, because he was in all the advanced classes I wasn't in, and athletic because he played a lot of sports (soccer, hockey, and baseball). Most importantly, I knew he was a good and kind person. One day Lee invited me over to hang out and watch a movie and invited Jake to join us. This was the first time we really hung out outside of school. Jake has said that was when he knew he was into me. A few weeks later, Jake asked Lee if she would help him out babysitting his younger siblings. I was with Lee when Jake asked this and was interested in joining. She gratefully allowed me to come along and at that point I was giddy because I was into Jake. It was attractive to me that he could so easily take care of a baby and little girl at his age. Jake and I kept talking; he asked me to make his senior shirt for high school and eventually we made it to the point where we had our first date on the first week of our senior year of high school. The following week we were going to the homecoming football game and dance as boyfriend and girlfriend. That was just the beginning of it all.

I remember being at work when Jake said we were overdue for a date night. Excitedly, I agreed and we planned a date night for October 12, 2018. Our plan was to get dinner at Mangia in Orchard Park. Before leaving, Jake asked me if I could bring my camera so that I could take a picture of him for school at Chestnut Ridge on our way to the restaurant. For the picture we went to where the toboggan runs are at the top of the hill. I noticed two other people taking pictures, they were the only other people in sight. I took some pictures of Jake with the city in the background and wanted them to be just right. Jake, always the patient one, let me go and do my thing. My settings weren't right and I wanted to get the photos to look good for him. He asked if he could see my camera screen because he thought they were probably fine. After he reviewed them and was satisfied, as far as I knew, we were done. However, we were not because Jake got down on one knee. Every girl knows what that gesture means but was this really happening to me? He said, "Erin Collette Gabreski, will you marry me?" and I said "Yes!". From that point on and for the next twenty-four hours I felt like I was in a dream. Was this really happening?! I actually didn't cry when he popped the question because I was in such disbelief. Walking back to the car I realized the other two people who were in the distance were a couple Jake and I knew there to take pictures of us. In the car Jake told me the diamond on my engagement ring was my grandma's and he had it placed in the setting I like; this is when I started to cry. My grandma died a few years ago and to have something of hers that I wear everyday for the rest of my life means so much to me. The proposal was simple but beautiful and I will never forget it!

The Tuesday after our reception we plan to go to Jamaica to celebrate our marriage and do some much needed relaxing. Both of us are truly looking forward to spending one-on-one time together further away and acknowledge all the hard work we put into our wedding in 2020 and reception in 2021. We currently live in a two bedroom apartment in the Village of Hamburg right on Main Street. We both love Hamburg and are love how close we are to the restaurants and businesses that make up this place we call home. Jake is teaching U.S. History and Government at Hamburg High School for the rest of the 2021 school year. He is applying for a permanent teaching position for the fall of 2021. I continue to work at United Way of Buffalo & Erie County as a graphic designer where I have been since June of 2018. Because of the pandemic I have been working from home since March 2020. Once our building is fully reopened I may return to working on site on a limited basis; I quite enjoy working from home!