Christine and I met on Opening Day of the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) on April 1, 2019. We were introduced through mutual friends in the upstairs bar of the Clevelander, a local sports bar right by the stadium. Later on, as one of our early dates, I took her to see her first proper baseball game. Unbeknownst to us, we were televised and my Aunt Renee saw us on the TV. This picture is the first picture of us we have as a couple and Christine’s first introduction to the family. Group chat: “Who is that girl standing next to Nick?”

Nick asked me out about a month after we first met. Our first date was at The Black Pig, a French bistro restaurant in Ohio City and a short walk from where we each lived. We were seated by the window and ordered chicken livers (pictured), pork collar, among many other delicious bites! I quickly snapped this photo as a memento and we ended up staying 'til close. We continued to become regulars at the Black Pig until they closed permanently in 2020. Our love affair with The Black Pig runs deep and we often say to each other that we find it difficult to imagine loving another restaurant as much as this one. (To this day, our families send us pictures of black pigs whenever they see one!) The silver lining is that this restaurant has actually turned into a bridal store, Harper and Ivory, which I was able to go back to and try on wedding gowns with Nick’s mom and sister. Feels very full circle!

Christine and I took our very first trip together to Cedar Point, an amusement park about an hour away. We have very fond memories there and have made a point to go every year since. My loving grandparents, Grandma Ruthie and Papa loved taking us to Cedar Point every summer. The year before this picture was taken, Grandma Ruthie passed away and we had been meaning to spread her ashes in a meaningful place to her. My family and I agreed on the beaches of Cedar Point. It made for an unusual detour in our first trip together but I’m grateful Christine thought to take this picture.

This was our first time going to the Holden Arboretum. It’s about 45 min outside of downtown Cleveland and a perfect spot to enjoy fresh air during the height of the pandemic. Christine was so happy there that I couldn’t get her to leave. I eventually chose this place for our engagement

Our first family trip! We decided to take a trip to hocking hills, a state park about 2 hours south of Cleveland. It has now become an annual tradition

Nick’s first trip to Colorado with me. This is by a lake in Estes Park where we stayed a couple days.

Our trip to Puerto Rico. We went for Nick’s 35th birthday! We had such an incredible time and can’t wait to go back someday

A picture of my dad and Nick in Nick’s parent’s backyard pond. This was the day both of our parents met for the first time! My dad had never fished before so Nick wanted to show him how! It was a magical fall day.

Our engagement. I planned to propose to Christine under this willow tree at the Holden Arboretum. We had so many happy memories here and I wanted to be able to go back to this spot in years to come. The forecast was a little rainy that day so I was extremely nervous about our plans. Luckily everything worked out. We later had the joy of celebrating with family and friends at our favorite downtown restaurant, Cordelia with a surprise party.

Nick and I love the Cleveland Museum of Art. It is a must see when you’re in Cleveland. We look forward to their annual Solstice event every year!

We took my family to Vail, Colorado after our engagement to show them where Christine grew up. It was wonderful and we can’t wait to go again.

Us, my parents, my sister and her fiancé Kevin all out on New Years Eve! We all stayed in downtown Denver and had a very eventful and fun night out! This is us all enjoying the lights and fireworks on Larimer Square!

Nick and I took my parents to go see the broadway show, Funny Girl in Playhouse Square while they visited us in Cleveland. We had such a fun time!

Five years later, in honor of the day we first met, we took the day off work to go to this years’ Opening Day of the Cleveland Guardians. It also happened to be the day of the Solar Eclipse where Cleveland was lucky to be in the path of totality. We watched this once-in-a-lifetime celestial event in complete awe on the rooftop of our soon to be wedding venue. While its hard to tell from this photo, it was truly an unforgettable day