We're Getting Married!

The search for a partner is tough out there... within the first 30 seconds of a date you can typically tell if the date is going to go well or... not so well... especially one that sparks from an online dating website. Within the first 30 seconds of our first date we both knew this was different. We very quickly found that we had similar family values, Midwestern upbringings & were career driven individuals. Conversation came easy & three hours later we were still sitting at Pins Mechanical by the fire talking. I think from the first date we both felt that we had something special. Only three days later, Andrew convinced myself & my Maid of Honor, Liz, to let him take us up in a plane with him & his friend Kevin (complete with a motorcycle pickup - Top Gun style, of course) where we had the ride of a lifetime to & from Port Clinton, Ohio. Ask us for more details at the reception! It was in those early days that we formed a bond that was unlike anything we had either experienced & what made some very exciting (& unexpected) news we received a few weeks later that had us discussing our future together two weeks into this new relationship. In January of 2016 Andrew found out that he was selected to attend Pilot Training for the United States Air Force to fly the KC-135 Tanker, a lifelong dream of his. It was a scenario that he had never anticipated actually happening, let alone 2 weeks after we met. It was a scary thought, dating someone that would be leaving so soon but after much deliberation we decided we'd give it a shot! We'd never know otherwise if this could work. Through thousands of miles of roadtrips, countless flights to meet in the middle, hundreds of hours on Facetime & the dedication to make it work through the distance & differences in schedules, here we are, almost two years later so incredibly excited to be getting married! We can't wait to celebrate with you!

Andrew attended Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama in the Fall of 2017 where he became a fully commissioned Air Force Officer. We spent 8 weeks apart during his time in training, finally to be reunited in November at his graduation. After a whirlwind of ceremonies, a formal dinner, & a parade we road tripped back to Columbus, Ohio where Andrew would have just over a month before he to leave again or Undergraduate Pilot Training in Columbus, Mississippi for 13 months. The day after we returned home from our 10 hour road trip we had made plans to go out & celebrate Andrew's accomplishment at our favorite neighborhood bar, Byrne's Pub. Little did I know, Andrew had other plans. Just before heading to our dinner reservation Andrew told me he had something to give me & he asked me to sit down on the couch. Still unsuspecting I, of course, objected telling him we'd be late for dinner. After much convincing I finally sat down & in hearing the words Andrew was saying knew we would most definitely be late for dinner but also that something big was about to happen. Once he pulled the small box from behind the couch cushion I was shocked, this was it, we were getting engaged! I was completely caught of guard & ecstatic to start this new chapter in our lives. The celebration with our friends later that night took on a whole new meaning!