ATHENS IS WHERE OUR STORY BEGINS….
Lauren and Ryan met in September 2007 while attending the one and only Ohio University in Athens. Exactly where did they meet? As surprising as it may seem, Lauren and Ryan met in class.
On a Friday afternoon, Lauren and Ryan were both attending their sociology class. On this particular day, students in the class were going to have a debate. Lauren and Ryan only observed, but, unbeknownst to each other, both felt strongly about what was being said. Lauren, being the introvert she is, remained quiet in her seat about her reaction to the debate. Ryan, on the other hand, being outspoken and the extrovert he is, raised his hand, stood up in the lecture hall, and volunteered a piece of his mind. It was enough to make Lauren notice, so she turned around from her nerdy second-row seat (Ryan sat in the back row of the lecture hall, of course) to see who this person was. And what did Lauren see? She saw someone with moppy red hair, skater shoes, gym shorts, and a hoodie… but about as short in stature as Lauren herself. Who WAS this guy? Lauren had to find out.
Class finally ended, and Lauren hung back a little so she would pass ways with this interesting (and loud…) red-headed guy. It was at this point Lauren and Ryan met, and struck up a conversation about what they just saw in class. They ended up carrying the conversation all of the way back to OU’s Front Four dorms, where they both lived.
Is this the part where Ryan asked for Lauren’s number, or vice versa? Actually, no. Lauren and Ryan didn’t talk or see each other again... until a few months later.
THE FIRST WEEKEND BACK AFTER WINTER BREAK
Lauren agreed to go with her roommates to a party on Palmer. Lauren was nervous, thinking she wouldn’t know anyone at the party, but you don’t pass up a party on Palmer! Seconds after walking into the second-floor apartment, Lauren was relieved and excited because she recognized the first person she saw. It was none other than Ryan Nagle – that red-headed guy with something to say from her sociology class. Lauren and Ryan’s excitement to see each other rekindled on the spot. They talked, laughed, and danced all night. The rest is part of history, as they started dating steadily shortly after that.
BOBCAT AND CLEVELAND LOVE
Ryan and Lauren dated all through college, and life on campus was nothing short of a blast. Being both from Cleveland, Ryan and Lauren had a ball spending time away from school too. They would take trips to Ryan’s lake house in Willard, or to Lauren’s house on the east side. The thing they loved doing the most though while away from school was going to Cedar Point to ride their favorite roller coaster, the Millennium Force.
FAST FORWARD TO SENIOR YEAR
Every Bobcat has to grow up sometime, and it’s not easy for all of them. Graduation was approaching quickly in spring 2011, and Ryan and Lauren knew life was going to take them different ways. Lauren accepted a full time marketing and events planning position in Washington DC, and Ryan moved back to Cleveland, working full time and finishing his college education. Lauren and Ryan continued to date long distance, visiting back and forth between Cleveland and DC. Eventually though, they decided to call it quits to put their young professional lives first. Lauren dove head first into her growing career, and Ryan made his biggest life decision yet – to follow his dream (and in his big brother’s footsteps) and to move to Las Vegas.
IF YOU LOVE SOMETHING, LET IT GO…
Between 2013 and 2014, big things happened for both Ryan and Lauren. Shortly after moving to Las Vegas, Ryan accepted a full time position with one of Elon Musk’s prodigy companies, SolarCity. Lauren, back in DC, continued to travel and stay fully enthralled with her east coast, big-city career. Where do many young professionals like to kick back though? That’s right… Las Vegas. By the end of 2013, Lauren found herself traveling to Las Vegas for one reason or another. More times than not, she agreed to meet up with Ryan… for old time’s sake, right?
IF IT COMES BACK TO YOU IT’S YOURS
What started out as “old friends” having fun in Vegas turned into much more. Ryan and Lauren both realized, in those few for-fun visits, their feelings for each other hadn’t gone anywhere. If anything, reuniting after all of the distance and all of those years had sparked something special. Ryan and Lauren fell back in love, and after all of that time… fell hard. It didn’t take long for Ryan and Lauren to begin visiting each other back and forth. This time, visits were between DC and they were also between Las Vegas… where everything (re) started.
A BIG LEAP
By the end of 2014, it was clear to Ryan that he and Lauren needed to be together. Goodbyes in airports and time apart was becoming harder and harder. After careful consideration (and a lot of courage) Ryan took steps to request and accept a transfer opportunity within SolarCity to the Washington DC area. By the beginning of the New Year, Ryan was on a one-way flight from Las Vegas to DC.
AT HOME AND TOGETHER
Ryan and Lauren moved to Pentagon City, just outside of downtown DC, at the end of February 2015. They finally got to do everything young domestic couples got to do – from building IKEA furniture (which Lauren is better at) and painting walls (which Ryan is better at) in their first place, to drinking coffee together and making breakfast on Saturday mornings, and to weekend trips in New York City. Ryan and Lauren were smitten with their new setup.
THE BIG QUESTION
In August 2016, Ryan and Lauren met up with some of their closest family and friends to return to one of their favorite home places: Cedar Point. Walking down the fairway to Millennium Force, Lauren couldn’t help but notice how tightly Ryan was holding her hand all of a sudden. With loud music all around them as they passed the other rides, Lauren even started dancing and Ryan wouldn’t let go! It seemed so odd until they got in front of the Millennium, when Ryan got down on one knee and asked Lauren to be his wife. Lauren said yes, with some of the people she and Ryan love the most cheering them on and ready to celebrate!
Since then, the wedding planning has begun (if anything, it’s in full swing!). Ryan and Lauren are going to marry in Las Vegas, the city that (ironically) brought their love back together.
We can’t wait to celebrate. Let the countdown begin!
