Eli and Ashley met in October 2020. Eli was stationed at Ft Riley near Manhattan, KS, at the time, and Ashley was living an hour away in Topeka. They began dating during the height of the pandemic, so it was fitting that at the end of their first date, Eli walked Ashley to her car and said, "I would kiss you, but you know... COVID and all." So began their story.

Eight months later, in June 2021, their first big test came when Eli was deployed to eastern Europe for a 9 month rotation, which ultimately was extended to 11 months. Ashley passed the time working, travelling, and spending time with family. When Eli returned to Kansas in May 2022, they quickly picked up where they left off. That summer they went hiking in Montana, visited Eli’s family in Vermont, and vacationed in Hawaii with Ashley’s family.

Eli received orders to head to Ft Moore for CCC (Captain Career Course), and together in December 2022, Ashley and Eli moved to Columbus, Georgia. This was Ashley's first time moving away from home and to say it was a difficult time would be an understatement. Eventually, thanks to a wonderful group of friends in Georgia, it began to feel like home.

A few days after moving into their new apartment in Georgia, Ashley flew back to Kansas and Eli flew to Vermont, each to be home with their families for Christmas. On Christmas Eve, Eli was seriously injured in a snowmobiling accident. Ashley caught the last flight out on Christmas Eve night, and arrived to the hospital in the early hours of Christmas morning. She spent the next week by his side in the hospital (and has a few good stories to tell of it). Luckily, Eli recovered quickly and was able to return to Georgia by mid-January.

Finally, on February 16th, 2024, Eli proposed to Ashley after a romantic dinner and a quick walk along the Chattahoochee riverfront. Ashley had a suspicion it was going to happen this night, but Eli still managed to pull off quite the surprise and it couldn't have been more perfect!!

In March 2024, Eli completed his requirements at Ft Moore and they moved to Ft Bliss in El Paso, Texas. On March 28th, they had a small courthouse marriage ceremony surrounded by their parents and siblings. They now have a full house with cats Opal and Iris and dog Sammy.

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