Hunter and Ashley met on September 4th, 2019. Ashley was instructed to recruit two of the current co-ops at the Bridgestone Warren County Plant to go with her to a career fair. She marched her self down to engineering and asked who wanted to volunteer. Hunter and his arch prank war nemesis (Rutger) volunteered to go.

Over the next week, Hunter stopped by Ashley's office several times to ask questions about the career fair. Each time, he had variations of basically the same exact question, even leaning over her desk at times getting oddly close to her face. One night while on the phone with her dad, Ashley told him, "I think this hot mechanical engineering co-op digs me because he keeps coming to ask me stupid questions so stay tuned on that one"....

A week prior to the career fair, Ashley texted all the co-ops on a Friday evening before she left work to get their t-shirt size. Hunter thought it was odd that she was still working late on a Friday, and thought this was Ashley trying to drop a hint, so he just kept texting her.

They started dating the same weekend of their first official date, September 21st, 2019.

I had a feeling that Hunter was the one a few months into our relationship. I can't remember an exact date, but I do know that it was at his brother's football game. It was the first home game I had gone to with Hunter. I met his mom and dad that weekend.

His mom was the most kind, fun, and free-spirited person I had ever met. His dad was kind, strong, and obviously extremely intelligent. Hunter seemed to be the perfect mix of these two incredible people who had turned him into the man that I had fallen for very quickly.

At the football game, he was so proud of his brother, and seemed to know and deeply care for everyone around him. At different times he would just get up and help people get up and down the bleachers if they weren't able to themselves. It melted my heart. He wasn't trying to show off, he was just a good person.

During that weekend visit, I met Hunter's family and friends. I discovered that his family had deep roots in their faith and in their community. I wanted to be a part of their family. I am blessed to say this will become a reality on March 27th, 2021.

I knew that Ashley was the one after we had been together a little bit over a year into our relationship. When I went back to school after my co-op assignment had ended, it started to hit me.

When I was working at Bridgestone, we would get lunch together most days and spend almost every weekend together. That was the absolute best. No matter how bad our days were, once we were together, we made each other smile and forgot about everything else that was happening around us.

When I went back to school, it hit me because I didn't get to see her every day or even on the weekends. I would get through every day, going to class, going to school, and then going home to sleep. I always felt like something was missing, and I knew that something was Ashley.

Wrapping up the semester, I knew we were going to see her family for christmas and that would be the best time to tell them how much I love their daughter and want to spend the rest of my life with her.

It wasn't your normal conversation, because I was not going to be able to give them a date on when it would happen. Instead, it would hinge on a specific event (our vacation in St. Pete Florida).

I knew for sure that Ashley was the one before I met her family, but spending time that Christmas with her family was wonderful because I got to meet and spend time with the people that made her into the most wonderful and beautiful young woman I know.

People always ask, "When will I know she's the one?". The answer is that you won't know until it just hits you. It's different for everyone, but I knew when I never felt complete unless she was by my side.

Hunter accepted a full time role with Bridgestone as a Mechanical Engineer in Aiken, South Carolina, where they make the biggest tires you will probably ever see.

Ashley is currently working at Bridgestone's corporate office as an HR Business Partner, providing HR support to the IT and Quality functions.

Our goal is to ultimately end back up in Tennessee, where we can be close to all of the friends we have made in the last few years.