Fate, or Nestle cubicle assignments, brought Ryan and Andrea together in March 2017. When Ryan was transferred to the Cleveland office, his desk was directly across from Andrea's thanks to Nestle’s cross-functional collaboration. Casual work conversations turned into daily coffee chats in the Culinary Center, which led to casual group hangs with Nestle friends in downtown Cleveland bars. It was at a Cleveland Indians vs Detroit Tigers baseball game in June 2017 where $1 hot dogs and Bud Light refills helped them realize their relationship was probably more than just a friendship.
Over the next few years, Ryan and Andrea spent a lot of time together in Cleveland. They also traveled a lot, visiting friends and family in Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Jersey Shore, Denver, Toronto, and more. They spent holidays together, including Easter in Florida, the 4th of July in Bay Harbor, and Christmas in Philly. Ryan and Andrea moved in together in May 2019 and settled into a comfortable routine: work, dinner, Netflix. When COVID hit in 2020, they escaped Cleveland and spent most of the pandemic in Northern Michigan. It's a place that's special to both of them since they grew up spending summers there, plus it offers peace and quiet on the water.
It was in Northern Michigan where Ryan proposed. On the way to the gym, actually, at Bay Harbor Yacht Club. Andrea and Ryan were about to walk into the gym when Ryan asked her to walk around and take the long way. "Check out the docks," he said. "See what they look like in the winter." (Proposing in a pandemic in January isn't easy.) But Andrea thought nothing of it and followed him around, all the way to balcony. Just before going inside, Ryan got down on one knee and asked her to be his best friend forever. Bay Harbor was already a special place for us, but now it's even more meaningful since Ryan proposed, and we'll be getting married there this summer! We can't wait to celebrate with you!