The Start

On August 10, 2018, on the streets of South Philadelphia, Anthony and Ashley met for the first time. It was a hot summer morning, and Ashley, Anthony, and ten of their mutual friends had organized a trip to Ocean City, Maryland, for their friend's birthday. They would spend a whole weekend together, across which they would each fall deeply smitten with the other.

Anthony and Ashley, as mentioned, had many mutual friends. They went to an incredibly small college, knew the same people, went to the same parties, and likely passed each other in the halls a thousand times before. Anthony's teammate had been dating Ashley's roommate for nearly a year. His roommate actually was one of Ashley's roommate's high school best friends and had spent many days at Ashley's apartment. By all accounts, their paths should have crossed much earlier. Yet, they had never met.

Although quiet at first, Ant warmed up very fast. Ashley quickly learned that Ant was insanely funny. His friends, who so affectionately referred to him as Vlad, were all excited to see him. His humor was infectious, making everyone around him, including her, laugh.

The entire weekend, Ashley and Anthony grew closer, bonding over their similar interests, talking about their life goals, and realizing that they were extremely compatible. Ashley remembers thinking to herself at one point during the trip how calm Anthony made her, and how she had never felt so connected to someone so quickly.

But there was one problem: Anthony was moving over 600 miles away in two weeks. They were undoubtedly going to have to go their separate ways. Ashley was moving to New York for graduate school, and Anthony had decided to transfer to a school in Indianapolis for his final two years of college. The weekend, and their connection, would have to be fleeting, as they were going to be hundreds of miles apart. A tragic fact that they both acknowledged, hoping that they would be able to meet back up when they were in the same area of the country again.

The Long-Distance Era

Sadly, Anthony and Ashley went their separate ways at the end of the trip, unsure whether they would see each other again.

After a few days of radio silence, Anthony finally texted Ashley, wishing her good luck on her move to New York that day. On this day they started texting and simply never stopped. A few days later, flowers appeared on the doorstep of Ashley's new apartment. It was at this moment, happy tears flowing, that Ashley realized maybe this would be more than a weekend-long connection. They continued to bond, Facetiming each other nearly every night. They would talk for hours about TV shows, Soulja Boy, sports, school, and everything in between. Within a few weeks, Anthony invited Ashley to come out and visit him in Indiana. Ashley had never flown by herself before, but nothing was going to keep her from visiting this boy who brought her so much unexpected joy. So they planned for a weekend visit.

Ashley began counting down the days until she would fly out to see Anthony on her whiteboard, a tradition that continued on for many years. After hours of LaGuardia airport flight delays that steadily decreased morale, at 1:00 am on Saturday, October 13th, 2018, Ashley made it to Anthony in Indiana. By that night, they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

This pattern continued for nearly two years. Ashley would fly out to Indiana in the middle of each semester, and Anthony would come to her in Philly during his breaks from school. They would Facetime nearly nightly on the days and weeks in between, counting down until they'd see each other next.

In these in-between periods, Ash and Ant continued planning their post-long-distance life. They decided to move in together when he graduated in May. Ash (rather spontaneously) adopted their dog/son Percy. Even from a distance, things were falling into place.

The End of the Long-Distance Era

Finally, in the Spring of 2020, Ashley made her final trip out to see Anthony in Indiana. A week after she returned, the world shut down due to the pandemic. And without even realizing it at the time, their long-distance journey had come to an end (or so they thought).

Anthony moved back home and spent every possible minute with Ashley (and their new puppy). They would wake up early, do their online classes together, and spend the rest of the day watching movies and making dinner together. It was a period of so much peace and joy. They essentially began living together, which was the smoothest process they could have imagined.

They formally moved in together in July of 2020. They finally had their own space, and the addition of their dog and cat made them a family. Within a week of moving in together, tragedy struck, and Ashley temporarily moved out to take care of her sick father. Just when long-distance seemed to be over, the universe threw another curveball their way. Anthony supported Ashley through this difficult time, driving the three hours upstate to visit her at her parent's home on weekends and taking care of their animals at home during the week. This went on for four months, up until the point when Ashley's father tragically passed away.

Ashley returned home, devastated and heartbroken. It felt like her whole life had fallen apart. Anthony became Ashley's biggest support and was her emotional rock. This period of time only helped them grow closer and illuminated to both of them how important it was to prioritize their relationship and goals. As they settled back into life at home, things grew calmer.

The Long-Distance Era Pt. 2

Throughout this time, Anthony continued to work toward his goal of playing professional baseball. Ashley would come with him to the field in the morning, holding up the radar gun while he threw and built his strength back up after Tommy John Surgery. In the afternoons, he worked full-time to contribute to rent and bills. And eventually, all of his hard work paid off.

Anthony was offered an opportunity of a lifetime: to play professional baseball. The only downside was that the team was located in Hamburg, Germany.

Ashley, a year and a half into her doctorate program, would have to stay back in the States. Anthony, finally reaching his life goal, would be leaving to live in another country in a matter of months.

Anthony's departure was something to celebrate, as he was finally reaching the goal he had worked so hard for. But it also meant another round of long-distance, this time with added factors like a pandemic-related travel ban and time zone difference. His farewell brought immense sadness, many tears, but also so much pride in all he was able to accomplish.

Ashley flew out to spend Easter of that year with Anthony, which remains her favorite trip that they have taken together. They mosied, meandered, and explored a city in a country where they didn't speak the language. They ate lots of food, drank lots of wine, and saw lots of historical buildings. They spent their days discussing marriage and how excited they were to start their next chapter together.

The Present

After an injury would send Anthony home early, things were back to normal. Anthony and Ashley settled back into their routine. They traveled to Italy, transitioned careers, and relaxed back into the comfort of cohabitation.

Then, after nearly five years together, Anthony finally asked Ashley to be his wife. On a typical October day in Newport, Rhode Island, Anthony got down on one knee and asked Ashley to marry him. It was the easiest yes she would ever say.

So, just like that, their little family would become legitimate, and the rest of their lives would officially begin!

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