Sunny and Eric met in the most romantic way -- online! Eric,"bttrthnslcdbrd," matched 94% with Sunny, "Wordsmith90," on OkCupid. He sent her a paragraph-long message about how he thought she was interesting, especially since she liked Clint Mansell and Arctic Monkeys (the missing 6%, they would discover, was probably due to their disagreements on how to load the dishwasher or whether to eat brats with buns.) Impressed with how Eric crafted his message, Sunny agreed to meet him on January 30, 2015 at the Calhoun Square Barnes & Noble, with pastries at Rustica Bakery afterwards. Coffee and books were soon followed by sushi, comedy clubs, dancing, movies, park walks, hockey games and concerts.

March 2015 - April 2017:

Sunny and Eric went through a lot in the early stages of dating. A month into their relationship Sunny was laid off from her job at Target and was stressed out trying to find a new job. The best offer she received was in the Chicago area. A few months later, Eric quit his job of five years at Kroll Ontrack to pursue his dream of becoming a game developer. In spite of so much change, Eric and Sunny stuck together and moved to Illinois in summer 2015 so Sunny could start her new job. Their relationship strengthened in Chicagoland and they gradually fell in love--Eric with Sunny's intellect, sense of humor, passion, and drive, and Sunny with Eric's kindness, candor, patience, and smarts.

A year and a half later, they moved back to Minnesota where it was closer to a new job, family, and friends (and away from ornery Chicago drivers and $45/hour parking ramps.)

On April 9, 2017, Eric proposed to Sunny on a moonlit night in Paris along the Seine River. He picked a spot on a bridge crossing the river, which was just minutes from the Louvre. He had been carrying the ring in his inner jacket pocket for a week as he waited for the perfect moment, meanwhile battling anxiety of pickpockets. Some would say that Sunny, a Type A and risk-averse person, who had anticipated the proposal, ruined the surprise; nonetheless, it was romantic and memorable. And she said yes.

Sunny and Eric are excited for the future and can't wait to solidify their commitment to one another on March 29, 2019.