A new adventure is just beginning!

It all started with a chat message. Ah, the wonders of technology! Although we lived two hours apart, our virtual high school (and its classroom chat boxes) allowed us to connect. At first, it was strictly platonic. With our busy farm and CCP schedules, it was lucky that we even talked to begin with! But in our scattered messages, we began to form a friendship. I started getting a crush on Tyler too, but I wasn't about to admit it! Instead, I waited until after high school graduation to do anything about it. Realizing I'd never get to talk to my friend again, I sent him a "good luck with life...stay in touch!" email. It took him a little while to respond, but he didn't waste any time when he did! In his first response, he sent me his phone number so we could "keep in touch." Sufficient to say, we did just that! It only took a few awkward phone calls and a ton of texts for us to realize we had a special connection. It wasn't long before we were constantly talking... then periodically meeting up... then dating... and now engaged! All because of a chat message :)

It was clear to us both from the beginning that God had a great plan in store for us. The physical distance that remained between our homes bore little weight against the love that had formed between our two hearts. On July 3, 2021, I moved to Ashland to be close to Grace. What better way to celebrate than to propose all within the same day? Deciding on how to propose to the most special woman in the world had long been on my mind. I wanted to do something special that Grace would adore, but it also had to completely be a surprise. Why OSU ATI? Shortly after we first reconnected, I surprised Grace on her birthday and drove to ATI in Wooster, where she attended school at the time. Because ATI was the initial place we officially saw each other in person for the first time, it held a special place in both of our hearts. So I had to find a way to include this spot in the proposal. Grace had also told me many stories about Ashland's balloon fest and her love for hot air balloons growing up. How about a hot air balloon ride that would launch from ATI? It was a perfect combination that I knew she would love. After making the great move to Ashland on July 3, I told Grace that we should go on a "fun" date to celebrate the move. She totally didn't see what was actually going to happen. I didn't tell her where we were going, we just jumped in the truck started driving towards Wooster, eventually arriving at ATI. I put the truck in park and said "so do you want to know what the 'fun' date is?" I then asked her if she wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride and my gosh you should have seen that girl's face light up! Still unaware of my true plans, we launched from ATI as the sun was setting. It was a beautiful flight, lasting nearly an hour. During the flight, I popped the big question and of course, she said yes! I pre-arranged with our flight guide to play one of Grace and I's favorite slow songs, which made the moment even more special. And here we are today... madly in love!