Our Story

It all started in Bakersfield, CA Christmas Eve 2008 with two pairs of Rollerblades and a little adventure to check out the Christmas lights. There was an instant attraction but the problem was Ryan lived in California...I lived in Chicago and was only visiting CA for a short time. So for the next couple months we called,skyped and sent literally thousands of text messages. Before long...it was love. 

Summer 2009, Chicago, IL

Summer 2009, Fife Lake, MI

At the beginning of 2009 fate intervened and Ryan was traded from Bakersfield to Cincinnati...only a 5 hour drive from Chicago. I spent the next few months travelling back and forth between Illinois and Ohio to visit Ryan. This proved to be very difficult for a city-dwelling girl who didn't own a car. When my dear friend Nicole could no longer swing any deep discounts for us through her job at Enterprise Rent-a-Car, I had to resort to the Mega Bus. A 6 hour journey that brought me to the heart of downtown Cincy where Ryan would be waiting with a borrowed car to pick me up. We were in deep.  

Summer 2009, Niagara Falls, ON

The next 2 and a half years consisted of a series of strategic moves across the Mid-West with the sole purpose of being closer to each other. In 2009 Ryan signed with Kalamazoo... we were making progress! Finally in the beginning of 2010 I made the big move. Left the city, left my friends and took a job in Grand Rapids ,a mere 45 minutes from Ryan in K-Zoo.  The short distance seemed like a piece of cake to us and seeing each other more than 1 time in a week, or even a month was something we could get used too. 

Summer 2010, Culebra Island P.R.

Hockey Season 2010-2011, Kalamazoo, MI

Our relationship has taken us through 3 states & 1 Province... and now all the way to Norway.  It is officially the first time we have not had to bus, drive, or fly to see each other. We get to see each other everyday.  Sometimes we can't help it, we basically live in a studio apartment. But when we look back at how far we've come, how far we literally have travelled to be together...well I wouldn't trade this studio for anything in the world. 

Summer 2011, Marquette, MI

2011-2012 Hockey Season, Lillehammer, Norway