Holland and I both grew up in Pittsburgh, the City of Champions. She grew up in the “South Hills” of Pittsburgh, and I grew up in the “North Hills” of Pittsburgh. We lived no more than 15 miles from each other, but we eventually met in THE most romantic setting on Earth: work! We are both Physical Therapist Assistants (PTA’s). We both worked at the same physical therapy clinic in Wexford, PA.

I will never forget the first time we met. It was early November 2016. I had just finished treating a patient in our gym when our boss brought Holland out for a tour of the facility. As I caught my breath, our boss introduced the two of us. As our boss made the introductions, all I could think was, “My God, she is so gorgeous! I REALLY hope she decides to work here.” I was ecstatic when I found out she took the job. She eventually told me she thought I was pretty cute too (after we started dating). As we started to work together, I realized what an incredible person Holland was. I was so taken with how she carried herself. As the months went on, I found myself looking forward to seeing her more and more. I had never been more excited to show up for work!

I started the process of enlisting in the Army to earn my Doctorate in Physical Therapy in early 2018. Little did I know I would also fall in love with the woman of my dreams at the same time. In the three years we have been together, the Army has taken me everywhere but home. We have shared so many beautiful memories in the three years we’ve been together in a long-distance relationship. I have been stationed in Georgia, Oklahoma, and now New York; we stood by each other every step of the way. Don’t let that fool you though; traveling together has been fun! Holland braved the scorpions and spiders of Fort Sill, OK to see my Basic Training Graduation. A few months later, we both enjoyed the Fort Benning, GA heat for my OCS graduation. What has been REALLY fun is taking in everything NY has to offer during my time at my current duty station, Fort Drum, NY. We’ve toured amazing wineries in the Finger Lakes Region, walked below the Niagara Falls, hiked through waterfalls in Ithaca, climbed mountains (and drank beer) in Vermont, and skied down mountains at Holiday Valley, NY. We are both blessed to have found each other and to have shared those experiences together.

Distance really does make the heart grow fonder! Through all the traveling, we’ve only come closer. While there have been some tough days apart, the great days together outweigh them. We are both eagerly awaiting the start of our life together. Thank you for reading our story! We are so excited to share our special day with all of you.