The Interstate Love Story: I (Erin) was living in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Daryl was in Chicago, but we’re both from Wisconsin. My sister lived in Arizona and moved home to WI to teach for just one year. She taught with Daryl’s aunt, who said, “You just have to meet my nephew! He’s so great!” She called me to see if she should meet him, and I said she had nothing to lose. After all, he was Bucky Badger at UW-Madison, so he must be fantastic! I asked how it went afterward and she said, “I just went out with the world’s most perfect guy for YOU!” She begged to introduce us for over a month, and after hours of refusing, I finally agreed to let her give him my email—“Good! I already did! Ha!”

We spent five months emailing back and forth about everything we have in common. During that time, he moved to Fort Collins for work. I came to Colorado late that summer to visit a friend, and after driving 1,500 miles that weekend for an Ironman in Utah, he drove to Winter Park to meet me. We had an AMAZING first date hiking in the mountains. After that, we continued to fly back and forth from CO to MN, including him flying in to surprise me on Valentine’s Day! 

After eight months, I applied for the only full-time French teaching job in Fort Collins for the ‘14-‘15 school year; was offered the job the next morning; sold my house two months later and then drove cross-country with him to move here! He arranged a total surprise proposal in Winter Park, overlooking where we met and had our first date, and he bought a ring at Sather’s, specifically because the store started in WI. We’re getting married June 6 in Madison!

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