We're getting married!

Savina and Ryan met at a high school soccer game in the Spring of 2009, watching a mutual friend play. They got along very well and became friends. At the time Ryan was going to be a Junior and Savina a Sophomore in high school. Throughout that summer, they hung out with similar groups of friends and got along very well. There was a spark between the two of them but it seemed one was always dating someone else. In the Fall of 2009 an opportunity had arisen and both were single. Ryan mustered up the courage to ask her to homecoming at Prairie Ridge High School by using his Papa in pictures to show how his last dance went. She found it clever and funny and said yes! They dated all throughout high school, going to many dances and supporting each other in their respected activities, Ryan hockey and Savina dance/poms. In August of 2011, Ryan went away to Michigan State University and Savina went to McHenry County College. They decided to stay together and do the long-distance relationship. This wasn’t a difficult decision as they had been through a lot together, including the passing of Savina’s father. Their relationship had grown into something not one of them could’ve predicted. Throughout the 5 years Ryan was away, there were definitely hard times. Ryan would take the train home to visit her and Savina would take the train to Michigan to see him. Frequent skype dates helped them get through the hard times when they were away from one another. They would watch shows together and talk through their days. Those nights made it easier for the both of them as Savina was working as a Nursing Assistant, dog grooming and going to school so they weren’t able to talk often.

Ryan was lucky enough to get an internship in the Chicagoland area that allowed him to commute from home for 7 months. This was the chance for them to spend quality time together after being apart for so long. During this time Savina graduated from Mchenry County College. Ryan eventually went back to school for his last semester and graduated from MSU in May 2016. After a few short months of them both living back in Crystal Lake, Ryan found a job at TricorBraun. He commuted to Oak Brook, IL for awhile but realized driving 90 miles everyday wasn’t the best idea. Savina and Ryan decided it was finally time to move in with each other! They looked long and hard and landed a 1 bedroom apartment in Arlington Heights. It would mean a longer commute to work for Savina but closer to where she would start going to school to become an Esthetician. They were so happy being able to be with each other under the same roof. They were both very busy people so to have a place where they could both go back to and see each other was a big step in their relationship. Savina convinced Ryan to adopt a cat name Tyrion which they love to this day. After living together, with a cat, for about 9 months Ryan knew it was time to pull the trigger. He asked Savina’s family if he could have the morganite stone that Savina wanted to get put in her engagement ring and if they were ok with him asking her. They said, “Well yes of course!” The ring was then made.

Ryan had planned to propose to Savina on their 8 year anniversary of when they starts dating, October 11. She had always talked about how she wanted to see the Japanese Gardens of Rockford, IL. So he decided to take her there for the day and surprise her. They walked around the gardens about an hour or two, looking at the beauty of it all. Ryan had picked a spot near a small waterfall that would be at the end of the walk. But when they finally arrived at the spot, Ryan panicked. He started to feel like headed and light on his feet. Luckily there was a bench nearby where he could take a seat without being suspicious. Savina wanted to take a picture by the waterfall though so she kept saying, “Hey come and take a picture with me!” Ryan was usually all for pictures but not at that moment. When she was distracted with the waterfall he finally mustered up the courage to walk over to her. From there he looked into her eyes and started to talk. Savina was confused at this point. He began telling her how much he loved her and what she meant to him. How they had been through so much together and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He then bent down on one knee and asked her to marry him, she obviously said yes! Now after being together for almost 10 years, they are tying the knot!