Our paths crossed several times over the years that we were both in Ithaca, but we started dating in May of 2015. At the time, Richard was finishing his last year of physical therapy school, and I was working at a local nonprofit. When we started dating, I had already decided I was in need of a change and was planning to leave Ithaca at the end of the summer. On the other hand, Rich knew he would be staying to finish out his last clinical in Olean, New York. That arrangement made for a lot of driving and moving over the next year. First, I moved home to Indiana, and Rich to Olean. Then I moved back to Olean to be with Rich for the winter. In the spring, we both moved to Asheville and rented a room in a woman’s house. Two months later we moved again to our basement apartment in Montford, where we stayed for the next 3 years. While there, Red, our cat, found and adopted us. And finally in June of 2019, the three of us bought our first house just outside of Asheville!

Richard proposed to me at our home on a Thursday night. I was originally supposed to be babysitting, but the family needed to cancel, so Richard and I decided to have an impromptu date night. When we got back from dinner, I put my sweats on and curled up on the couch with Red. It was the week before Christmas in our new home, so the house was filled with lights and tinsel. Richard poured us a couple of glasses of wine and then proposed to me on the couch next to our Christmas tree. He said he couldn't think of a better place to ask, and I couldn't agree more.