Our story begins in 2009—though neither of us knew it yet. Terra’s lifelong friend, Sammie, was dating a boy on the same baseball team as Terra’s then-boyfriend. That boy just so happened to be Craig. And while Sammie was technically the one dating him, somehow it was always Terra who ended up on the phone with Craig for hours. What started as casual conversations quickly turned into an easy friendship. Like many high school relationships, Craig and Sammie eventually decided they were better off as friends. And somewhere along the way, Terra realized she had developed a quiet, little crush. Thus begins the story of an oblivious boy… and a smitten girl. Fast forward to the summer after senior year, when Craig and Terra finally met in person for the first time—meeting up at McNick to hit baseballs. Terra insists Craig was only motivated by her offer to give him her ex’s Phiten necklaces (a claim he still denies… but we’ll let you decide). Soon after, life pulled them in different directions. They went off to college—coincidentally both becoming Bobcats in their own right—and eventually lost touch for nearly twelve years. Yes, twelve. Now fast forward to April 20, 2024. Sammie was getting married (RIP to that marriage) and secretly playing matchmaker. She had a plan to bring two of her favorite people back together, convinced they belonged in each other’s lives. Terra thought she was completely ridiculous. Why would a man she’d met once remember her after so long? Well… Sammie wasn’t so crazy. Craig did remember her—and was just as nervous to see Terra again. In his words, he did a triple take when she walked into the reception. Just like that, they fell back into effortless conversation, as if no time had passed. Within twenty minutes, Craig went to the restroom, looked in the mirror, and said, “I’m in trouble.” He had no idea how right he was. The rest of the evening felt easy and a little magical—full of dancing, laughter, and conversations that had people asking how long they had been dating (answer: not at all). At the time, Craig lived in Pittsburgh, so instead of directly asking Terra out, he used the distance to hypothetically ask her on a date. (Smooth, right?) And yes—her answer was an immediate yes. After the reception, they went their separate ways… but only physically. From that moment on, they talked nonstop (and still haven't stopped). The next morning, Terra mentioned how nice it would be if Craig drove past her house on his way back to Pittsburgh. His response? “I meeeean… it doesn’t have to be on the way. It would give me a reason to see you before I leave.” Cue the swooning. Craig stopped by and made one thing very clear—he was all in, and he’d do whatever it took to make this work. Then he drove back to Pittsburgh, where distance quickly became irrelevant. Over the next two weeks, they fell fast. Nightly FaceTime dates stretched for hours, and what started as reconnection turned into something undeniable. Then on May 4, 2024, Craig came back for their first official date—a rocks and minerals convention (because of course it was). But before they even made it there, he looked at Terra and said: “You are so easy to love.” Yes—he said he loved her before officially asking her out. And somehow… it made perfect sense. From that moment on, they both just knew. Three months later, Craig packed up his life and moved back to Cincinnati. And on April 21, 2025—exactly one year after promising he’d do anything to make it work—Craig got down on one knee and asked Terra to be his wife. She said yes, of course. Because this time, there was never going to be twelve years in between. And just to stay on brand, the very next day they met with their realtor—and within three weeks, they were not only engaged, but buying their first home together. Turns out, when you know… you really know.