When Jake and I first met, it was at Hawthorne High School. We were both Freshmen. As most of you know, Hawthorne is a SMAAAAALL town where everyone knows each other. When entering HHS, I had already known my classmates for years. But, Jake was the new kid. In fact, he was so new (despite living in town his whole life), he told everyone that he was from Canada. Everyone believed him, I mean, what other 14 year old had a full grown beard already? It was the only plausible explanation. Because of our last names, H and I, we always sat next to each other during school-wide events. And to be honest? We HATED each other. I thought he was obnoxious, and he thought my hair smelled funny! (It was all that hairspray!) It wasn’t until we happened to become part of the same friend group Junior year that I even found out he was NOT actually Canadian! Fourth quarter of Junior year we both were in a relationship…with other people and they both were long distance. We leaned on each other during “tough times” throughout, and when they eventually fizzled out….well the rest is history! 😊

How did I know that Jake was the one? It was a culmination of things. The first time I realized that he was something special was before we even started dating. Back in 2015, my youngest sister Nani was almost 2 years old, and Jake and I were best friends. He would often come to help me babysit her, despite knowing nothing about children. It was not an easy feat! He helped me with keeping her entertained, tough feedings, and keeping up with general 2 year old mischief. One time while babysitting, my mom came home and said she needed to go to the store for some grocery and baby shopping. Jake offered to take her and shop with her. They were gone for HOURS. He drove her around in his “cool guy” car and helped her carry bags. Family means everything to me, it’s a HUGE core value, so seeing how he interacted with my mom and young sisters was eye opening. I realized that this was the type of man I wanted to be with. He continued to show up even after that, and I knew then that I was starting to fall for him.

I am not a man of many words, so I will keep this short and sweet. I can't think of an exact moment that I knew that Ashley was the one for me, but it's a few different things that led me to fall in love with her. I love her because she is very nice and does a lot of things that make me feel special. Waking up next to her everyday has made me the happiest man, even if her snoring can get annoying sometimes. She was able to fit in with my family right away, and has the best relationship with my mom. And even though I can really get on her nerves, she loves me anyway. I am very proud of the things she has done and continues to do, and I am happy that I get to be by her side and watch her grow.

Ashley: I think my favorite story of us was a few months after a surgery I had in FL back in 2018. We had been apart for quite a few months, and during Jake's spring break, he came down to visit. I was so nervous to see him since I had physically changed, but he put me right at ease. He stayed with me at my mom's house and we were able to take a mini Disney trip for a couple of days. Staying at an Airbnb and playing "house" for a few days, is something I will always remember fondly. It made me excited for our future, and now we're getting married! Jake: My favorite story of us is when we first started dating and went to the Liberty Science Center with Ashley's sisters Alyssa and Amaya. Getting to spend time with her and her sisters was a lot of fun, plus the science stuff we saw was really cool.

Funnily enough, we actually have the same answer! Our favorite thing is that whenever we see a photo booth, we HAVE to take some silly photo's together! It is something we started when we first started dating and have continued for over 6 1/2 years.

Picture this: it is April 2020. I know, scary right? New Jersey had just shut down, and everyone was in quarantine unsure of what the future would hold. That day, I had just gotten off of a therapy zoom call. I was upset and crying because of the state of THE world and the state of MY world. Jake came and consoled me and while we were talking about the future and life in general, he asked me, “Do you want to get married?” Now, if you know me, this is something I had wanted for a while, buuuuuut I was scared he was messing with me. I believe my exact words were, “Jake, don’t f*** with me, I’m in a VERY vulnerable state right now.” To show me how serious he was, he got down on one knee, took my hand, and asked for my hand in marriage. No ring, no fancy dinner or location, nothing out of the ordinary. But it was absolute perfection.

Ashley: I hope that we continue to grow individually and together. And that we always remember how much love we have for each other, even when times get tough. Jake: I hope that we have a beautiful family and a nice home.