I (Nicole) remember scrolling through insta when I came across the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen..literally. She (Ashe) was in a kayak with another girl, imagine my disappointment. Regardless I clicked on her profile and gave her a follow, but only after I creeped on every single one of her photos. Months went by and I never seen her post anything, until one day she posted something on her story! I thought here’s my one chance, go big or go home Nicole Rae. So I did, I replied to her story (she was showing off her sweet elbow scar). I’m not a very bold person so my stomach was in knots as I hit the “send” button. I assumed that this girl (whom I had only insta stalked) was either a catfish or already had tons of girls WAY prettier than me in her inbox awaiting a reply from her as well. Imagine my surprise when she messaged me back! 😍 We started out chatting here and there for a few days and then the conversations got longer and eventually we exchanged phone numbers and Snapchat usernames. After a month of talking and FaceTiming sun up to sun down, Ashe brought up the idea of me going to Chicago to meet her in person. I of course went to my best friend and we came up with a plan of what to do in case she tried to kill me (because this stuff happens more than you know!) and before I knew it I was packing for my first of many trips to Chicago. Stepping off the plane made my heart feel like I had just ran a marathon. I made it outside to wait on her and I remember that the air was crisp and chilly. I felt like I was in a cheesy romance novel, waiting for the love of my life to sweep me off my feet. Have you ever met someone for the first time and everything around you just comes to a halt and you feel a warm rush of calm? That was my experience meeting Ashe for the first time. We made eye contact, my heart turned into a million butterflies as it floated down to my stomach and took a new residency there for a few days. 3 years, 4 dogs, 2 kids and 2 states later I still look back on that day and I’m still blown away that the hottest girl on Instagram responded to me ❤️ We want to thank all of you for your love and support as our relationship has grown. We are so grateful that you are choosing this day to celebrate our love for each other and the official blending of our two families.