All the way back in 2014, it started with a like on twitter. Tommy & Tara were both night owls, and Tommy had liked Tara's tweet about not being able to sleep. Tara then Dm's Tommy her number saying if he's bored, he should text her! So he did :)
Tara & Tommy then continued to text quite a bit, but it was hard to get together because she lived in Pittsburgh at the time and Tommy lived in Dayton, just returning from Arizona for a few years. She would come into town on occasions and they went on a few dates, but then one day it just stopped. Tommy had "ghosted" Tara, and no one, literally no one, knew why! (Come to find out later because he was so nervous and didn’t know how to feel)
Fast forward a little bit, in late 2015, Tara was back living in Ohio, going to Ohio State. Tommy had randomly messaged Tara, long after they hadn't spoken in a while, and asked to go to an OSU game with her. Confused but interested, tara accepted and they went and had a great time. Here he even met some of her close family members, and everyone loved Tommy. Then he went home to dayton after the game, and that was that. They went as friends, and They didn't speak too much more after, and Tara never questioned what had happened before in 2015.
Fast forward AGAIN- in mid 2016, Tommy began friendly again texting, snapping, and hanging out with Tara again. She was back in Pittsburgh for the Summer, but when she got back, Tommy had asked her to go to his Uncle's wedding, as he had never been to a wedding before, and needed a date. Tara accepted, and they went and again- had a great time. Here Tara met a ton of Tommy's close family, and this is where Tommy had made it known to Tara he was interested in her as far more than a friend.
ONE WEEK after the Wedding, Tommy asked Tara, so Shyly, to be his girlfriend. Shockingly- Tara said no! She was so confused and blown away, because of what had happened back in 2015. How did she know he really liked her? How did she even know how she felt about it without warning? How was this decision supposed to happen so quick!? Tara & Tommy agreed to begin seeing each other more, and seeing where things went instead of jumping right in. In the coming weeks after this conversation, Tommy consistently spent hours driving to and from Columbus from Dayton to visit Tara as many times as he could. He was doing everything possible to show her this time he was serious. A month later, Tara told him she could no longer keep her feelings to herself, and she wanted to be his girlfriend. So then, On October 4th 2016, Tommy asked her again, and this time she said YES. :)
Throughout the next 3 years, Tara & Tommy were inseparable. He would make many trips and miles driving to Columbus to see her while she finished school, with so much love, patience, and encouragement along the way. He eventually made the move to Columbus and lived with Tara's best guy friend as a roommate for a while (shoutout Harry!). Tara had always been more cautious with her heart, and was afraid to talk much about their future together. Tommy was patient and loving and graceful the entire time. After a trip in Cali together in Summer 2019, Tara told Tommy again, like he had been patient with her before in 2016, that she thought she was ready and had prayed for someone like Tommy and knew he was it. Approaching their 3 year mark together, on September 20th 2019, Tommy asked Tara to be his wife while walking in a park in Gahanna down the road from each of their apartments, on a casual night out to dinner at Longhorn (Our fav), and Tara couldn't even mutter the correct words besides "Thank you" as she sobbed into Tommy, a number of emotions coming out as this is what she had wanted all along, and finally got it and was able to have everything come full circle, and Tommy standing in front of her being the loving man he is, holding the most beautiful customized ring he made for her.
One week after the proposal, they found a venue that just so happened to be open on the date they started dating, October 4th. It felt right, so they booked it immediately, and now, 4 years later on October 4th 2020, after a long road together, Tommy & Tara will tie the knot on their anniversary! God had a plan for their lives the entire time, even if each of them couldn't see it at different points throughout their time together. They are so happy, in love, and thankful to everyone who has fully supported them the entire time.
"Love is Patient, Love is Kind, It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong doing. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
This is a true testimony to Our relationship & the way we have and always will treat each other. We cannot wait to share our love and story with you all!