Our Story

Sarah and Eric met on November 4th, 2020 at the Sir Walter coffee shop in Downtown Raleigh. Covid-19 mandates were just beginning to relax, and they sat together outside in cold metal chairs and sipped coffee together. Sarah was finishing up her senior year of college, while Eric had been at his first job out of college for three years. They were at different phases of their lives but they clicked immediately. Throughout the date, Sarah couldn’t stop laughing, and Eric was full of stories about his recently adopted puppy, Lenora. 

 

Over the holidays, Eric and Sarah didn’t talk very much, and Eric figured that Sarah had just lost interest. He was happily surprised when she texted him after the new year and followed up for another date. From there, it was a match made in heaven. They made every excuse to see each other. They would grab coffee or walk around Target, and they started going to the same gym together just to see each other more. By Valentine's day, they were inseparable.

 

Sarah was close to graduation when she accepted a full-time offer at Lenovo, where she had previously interned in 2020. She set out to find a new apartment closer to work, and because Eric lived only five minutes away from her new office, he would tag along. One awkward fact kept coming up: Eric had an extra room in his townhouse that he was hoping to rent, and all of the apartments around them were charging insane rates. And so, in April, they decided to live together. 

 

Were their parents happy that Sarah was moving in after only 6 months of dating? Not really! But the young couple entered into the decision with love and maturity. They laid out a plan for how everything would work, and how things would go if it “didn’t work out.” Neither of them wanted to feel trapped by the other’s presence. And neither of them did.

 

They were quick to kick out Eric’s roommate (Sorry Ted!) and start a life together. Lenora was thrilled to have Sarah around more often, and Sarah’s cat Darla took a liking to Eric quickly. Their townhome was filled with life and love. On Sarah’s birthday in September, they added a second dog, Harriet, to the mix. 

 

From there, it was bliss. Eric and Sarah found that they loved to cook for each other. They still fit in date night every week. Their weekends are filled with trips to farmer’s markets or museums, or just sleeping in. They talk with each other incessantly, always finding interest in each other’s views and ideas. They have started more home improvement projects in their three years living together than anyone would guess. They daydream about their next house and starting a family together. They complain about work, and put off doing laundry, and forgive themselves for their messes. 

 

Eric proposed to Sarah on April 8th, 2024, under the total solar eclipse. He chose the Monet Bridge at the Cox Arboretum in Dayton Ohio. While everyone else’s eyes were locked on the sun and the moon, Eric’s focus never left Sarah.