Her version: It all started at Milk Bar in downtown Raleigh... He walked in with some friends, and I immediately spotted the tall handsome one across the room and slowly made my way toward his direction. I somehow snapped a photo of him to double check my eyes the next day, and also managed to capture our first super high quality picture together (see the gallery). Luckily I did, because he asked for my number and asked me on a date the next week, which I anxiously agreed to (with a little coaxing from some friends). I decided to be my total self- the self that orders prime rib and cheesy potatoes on a first date- and he totally loved it. I quickly realized he was somebody I absolutely wanted to keep in my life, seeing as I'd never met someone so easy going, humble, and kind to his core. He soon after asked me to an Army Ball, which we had the best time at. And then boom... he gets deployed and my worst fears about the relationship are a reality. But my goodness if he didn't turn one of my worst fears into one of my most cherished times in our relationship. Not because I didn't miss him, I missed him dearly. But because he somehow made me feel more loved than I'd ever felt, even from so far away. A couple months after meeting him I told my sister I had met my husband. Looks like I was right! His version: Like we all know, every fairytale starts at a bar. Ours started in Raleigh. It was 3 months after I moved to North Carolina that I met Ashley. It took me a while to get the tall blonde's number but I finally persuaded her. We exchanged intermittent text messages and it was hard to get a gauge on whether she was interested (my name was saved as “Army Boy” in her phone). Conveniently, I had a military ball about 2 months after I got her number. She checked her well organized planner and carved out some time for me. I asked her to be my girlfriend after that knowing it might have been a little quick. Soon after, we were forced to grow in ways we weren’t able to imagine. I had a no notice deployment 1 month after dating and did not know how long I would be gone. Fortunately Ashley was right by my side helping me get my things in order before I left. She could have turned and ran, everyone would've understood. We made it through an unexpected time in our life and came out stronger in the end. Through Ranger School and two more activations we have made the most of our time together and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us.