It all started at 299 E. 15th Ave…We first met in college at Ohio State. I was a senior and he was starting his junior year (I know, I’m a cougar!) My best friends and I had been living there already for two years and in August of 2014, Jake and his best friend moved into the apartment below us. We met on the balcony in the back of the building one day as I was on my way home from work. I stopped to talk to Jake and Ben and we found out we all shared a love for fantasy football and beer. Over the next couple months, Jake and I became good friends and hung out all the time…I did live right above him, after all! For a few months we both secretly had a crush on each other but neither one of us knew! He eventually asked me out and we went out to dinner (on my very first date!!) and haven’t looked back ever since.

Over the years, Dani and I have fallen in love with each other and she has become the best friend I have ever had. We are friends first in our relationship, and we bond over many mutual interests and shared activities. We love traveling and have been fortunate to see some of the coolest places we have ever been while traveling together. We also love playing with our three cats, cooking and trying new foods together, hiking, shopping, going to sporting events, fantasy football, and hanging out with our incredible group of friends. Although I love that we share so many interests and do so many fun things together, what I love most about our relationship is our shared interest in being the best parents possible, being successful and helping each other in our careers, supporting our friends with whatever means we have, and a commitment living every day of our lives to the fullest and as best friends. We are looking forward to starting our life together in April with our friends and family and the many adventures it brings in the future.

We had a trip to Acadia National Park planned for quite a while. We had talked about getting married in the near future so I knew it was coming eventually, maybe even on the trip, but it happened almost immediately after we got there which I didn’t expect. Jake told us before we left for our trip that he had made dinner reservations for us and we could plan the rest of our trip from there. He told me that afternoon to dress nicely, because it was a nice place. He asked if on the way there we could stop at this pond he had read about to check out some hiking trails for the week. We walked down a path and he saw someone standing near the water taking pictures so he asked her if she could take a photo of us. She used his phone and took a picture of us and as soon as she was done, Jake got down on one knee. I was so shocked and all I could do was interrupt him and say “yes” over and over! Turns out the woman was a photographer Jake had hired to capture the moment. We spent some time getting pictures taken by her and got to spend the next week together hiking in Maine and enjoying our time as a newly engaged couple in our little bubble.