Roger and Ashley actually met through mutual friends! She was trying to buy a house and an old high school friend was her realtor. Roger was doing him a favor and showed her the last few houses. Ashley was so focused and nervous throughout the house search and truly never gave things a second thought. AT THE CLOSING TABLE (of all places lol), Roger brought up hanging out/celebrating afterwards. She was taken off guard to say the least! Ashley texted Roger later that night that he could meet up with her and her friend. The bar was a unique setup, so he really didn't even get to talk to Ashley all night :( She was not really focused on getting into a relationship, but he persistently (while appropriately ha) pursued from there. It wasn't until a few months later at Ashley’s birthday party when a best friend came up to her and said, "Wait! Is this who you’ve been hanging out with?! Roger is great!" With that extra push, she finally gave him a true chance, opened up and things moved very quickly from there. Marriage was talked about pretty early on. They say that they continue to learn a lot from each other and are the only people that they have been with that have truly felt like home :)

I (Roger) knew that I wanted to marry Ashley from the beginning. Months before getting down on one knee, I met with Ashley’s parents to ask for their blessing, which they gave, and completely welcomed me into the family. Soon after, I bought a ring that I was sure she would love. With the ring burning a hole in my pocket, I decided to take Ashley to downtown St. Petersburg we had our first date, and ultimately where our love and faith grew together. Ashley’s sister, Corrin, was in town so the timing was perfect. Vinoy Park seemed like a fitting place to do it since it was a place where we spent many evenings walking, talking, looking at dolphins and just enjoying each other’s company. There were so many things I wanted to say and express to Ashley about how much she means to me. Unfortunately, the nerves and trying not to pass out got the best of me, but I still managed to get out “Ashley, I love you a lot.. Will you Marry Me?” Just as shocked as I was nervous, Ashley needed a few (extremely long) seconds to process what exactly was happening, but did eventually say “Yes!” We sat for a few minutes where it seemed like the world took a brief pause. We held each other and started to realize that this was the beginning of the next chapter of our lives. Ashley, still in a state of shock, and me feeling extreme relief, went to a local establishment to share a celebratory drink where we were greeted by some of our best friends who had been tracking our location in anticipation of our arrival. The next day was filled with calling, texting and visiting family and friends. The feeling of being engaged to be married finally started to really sink in.