Big Events

- Started dating in June

- After only one month of dating, Erika and Edward became a long distance couple with Erika living in Cleveland and Edward in Columbus

- After the fall semester started, Erika and Edward started seeing each other once a month, taking turns visiting each other - Erika in Ashland and Edward in Athens

Erika's Favorite Memory: My 21st birthday was on a Thursday so Edward told me he could come up to Ashland the day after and stay the weekend. I went out with friends for dinner and when I came home, he was standing outside my dorm door!

Edward's Favorite Memory: After finals and before Christmas, Erika and I spent time in my apartment in Athens. One night, we made the spaghetti from Elf with chocolate syrup, PopTarts, and marshmallows. It actually didn't taste half bad!

Big Events

- Celebrated their one year dating anniversary

- Continued seeing each other once a month while in school and every other weekend during the summer

- Attended Erika's sorority's semi-formal dance

Erika's Favorite Memory: Spring semester of my junior year and fall semester of my senior year at Ashland were crazy busy. I was taking 21 credit hours, working part time, was treasurer for my sorority, vice president of the accounting club, and a student ambassador for an accounting association on campus. With all of that going on, I so appreciated my weekends with Edward. In my planner I would keep a countdown of how many days to go until we could see each other again. As hard as it was not seeing each other all the time, when we were reunited it felt like we had never been apart.

Edward's Favorite Memory: During the summer, I took a business CLUSTER class at OU and loved when Erika would visit me for the weekend. We would go out to downtown Athens - Broney's bar and Big Mamma's Burrito were our favorites.

Big Events

- Erika and Edward both graduated from college on the same day!

- Erika got a full time job offer from the JM Smucker Company and Edward started working at Ohio Department of Taxation

- Started seeing each other more after graduation - at least every other weekend

- Attended a Hunter Hayes concert together

Erika's Favorite Memory: Edward and I went to Top Golf for the first time. I grew up golfing but Edward was still getting the hang of it. One time while he was swinging, he accidentally left go of the golf club and it went flying! I covered my eyes out of shock so I didn't see where the golf club went. We looked in the bay next to ours but couldn't find it - not sure where it went!

Edward's Favorite Memory: For our two year anniversary, we decided to get a two night stay at Kalahari. I had never been before so I enjoyed spending time there. Our favorite was the swim up indoor/outdoor hot tub. We met another couple there and talked with them for a long time.

Big Events

- Edward started a new job at VIP with Erika's dad

- Erika and Edward moved in together to their townhouse in Medina where they were both working from home full time due to COVID-19

- Erika started taking classes for her MBA at Ashland

Erika's Favorite Memory: We had so much fun decorating our place for the first time for Christmas. We went to Home Depot together to buy lights for the outside of our townhouse and found a giant blow up penguin. We decided not to buy it since we were already buying lights and indoor decor. But when we were outside putting up the lights, Edward decided we needed the penguin so he ran back to Home Depot to buy it. He got the last one - it's still one of my favorite Christmas decorations we have.

Edward's Favorite Memory: For New Years, due to COVID we decided to stay in. We made a bunch of appetizers - my favorite was pigs in a blanket. We played a murder mystery game and then watched the ball drop.

Big Events

- Erika and Edward went on their first vacation together to Clearwater, Florida - their favorite vacation spot!

- Drove down to Myrtle Beach to spend a week there in June

- Attended a Thomas Rhett concert together at Blossom

- Spent the weekend in Dublin, Ohio to ring in the new year

Erika's Favorite Memory: Edward got a grill for his birthday and decided to make us steaks one night. Since he had never made steaks before, he was texting my dad the whole time asking how to do it and if it was looking right. It was super sweet to watch.

Edward's Favorite Memory: Our AirBnb for Myrtle Beach was a small apartment on one of the top floors of a tall building. At night, we would go out onto the balcony with our drinks, looking out to the beach and talking. After we were done, we'd head back inside and put Impractical Jokers on which has become a tradition for us that we only watch that show when we're on vacation.

Big Events

- Erika and Edward celebrated their 5 year dating anniversary

- Did a mini photoshoot with Ohio Comfort (their wedding photographer!)

- Spent a full week in Clearwater, Florida

- Erika graduated with her Masters in Business Administration

- Had a long weekend at Kalahari

- Traveled to New York City at Christmas time

Erika's Favorite Memory: When we were in New York, we went to an Azerbaijani restaurant. We walk in and the whole place looks like it's decorated for a wedding and we are the only ones there. We start stressing thinking we're just crashing someone's wedding. Someone even walks by in a white floor length gown so I tell Edward, "We're just going to be in the back of this person's wedding pictures." But as more people arrive, we realize they're all in separate big groups. Our food comes out and we start to relax. But just as we're about to start eating, the curtain on the stage goes up and out comes two singers singing Turkish songs. We thought we would only stay for an hour or two but ended up staying the whole night!

Edward's Favorite Memory: A week before we were supposed to leave for our New York trip, our hotel room got canceled. Hotels.com was able to find us an upgraded room at no extra charge but we didn't get many pictures of what the room would look like. When we arrived at the room, we realized we had a corner room with a perfect view of Times Square. One night, we headed up to the room a little early with a bottle of champagne and just enjoyed the views from our room and watched a Christmas movie.

Erika and Edward were supposed to go down to Columbus the weekend of December 1 but a day or two before, Edward told Erika that his sister and brother-in-law had booked a cabin in Millersburg and were sick so no longer able to go. Since it was too late to get a refund, they had asked them to go instead so the cabin didn't go to waste. Erika and Edward were going to New York City the next week so she didn't suspect a thing. Once they got down to the cabin and looked around, they were standing outside on the back patio looking out at the rolling hills at sunset. That's when Edward said, "I have a confession to make. I actually booked this place because I thought it would be the perfect place to ask you to marry me." And the rest is history!

Big Events

- Started wedding planning!

- Erika got promoted at her job

- Took their third trip down to Clearwater, Florida

- Saw Taylor Swift in concert in Pittsburg together

- Had their engagement photoshoot with Ohio Comfort in Columbus

Erika's Favorite Memory: At the end of July, I had a big family party that I had been looking forward to for a long time. The day before, I came down with a cold. I was so upset but Edward did such a good job taking care of me. After I woke up from a nap, he had gotten me a little basket full of snacks, drinks, and a little teddy bear. He laid on the couch with me all day and watched TV, making sure I was getting plenty to eat and drink. By the next day, I was feeling good enough to still go up to my family party!

Edward's Favorite Memory: Every day during our trip to Clearwater, we would spend most of the day down at the beach. The water was always so clear and for a little bit, we would go out pretty deep in the water since it was so warm and throw a ball around.