"NO ONE LOVES ASHLEY AS MUCH AS DANIEL. AND NO ONE LOVES DANIEL AS MUCH AS ASHLEY."

"Little did I know that one day Dan would be my son-in-law!"

I would like to say that I will always remember the phone call I received from Dan asking me if he could marry Ashley… It took my breath away. I always knew that day would come, but the words were still very moving. I thought how sweet of Dan to ask me, even though under normal conditions Dan would have asked her Daddy. I know that Randy (Ashley's Daddy) was right beside me when I told Dan that he had our blessing, and I was very happy for them.

When I first met Dan it was in a hospital lobby with a couple of Ashley's friends. I thought how nice of Dan, and her friends Ellis and Courtney, to be there for her at the hospital when her daddy was ill. When Randy moved over to hospice,  I remember always seeing Dan and her friend Hutter. They spent time sleeping on couches and keeping us company- supporting our family. I thought how very special it was for them to be there for Ashley. Little did I know that one day Dan would be my son-in-law!!

Ashley and Dan are a wonderful couple and they bring joy to everyone who knows them. The two of them complement each other perfectly, and the respect, love, and support they have for one another is so apparent.

- Cheryl Harville

"They're probably the two most loquacious people I know."

Ashley and I were in the same sorority and met in 2001. I don't remember specifically when I met Ashley, but I do remember she was wearing a ponytail with a bow around it. We became close friends-- I think it's impossible for anyone to meet Ashley and not want to be her friend. We've traveled together, been roommates, and created many memories together.

I remember first hearing about Dan in the beginning of 2007 when he met Ashley fixing something in her apartment. They went out on a date and it seems like ever since then Dan has been at her side. They've always supported one another from the very beginning. They talk about everything (which isn't hard to believe since they're probably the two most loquacious people I know). Ashley and Dan also support each other, whether it be entertaining friends, career changes, broken legs, and other life events.

Dan and Ashley are some of the kindest and most authentic people I have ever met. They are welcoming to all people that cross their threshold and love to entertain. They are always interested in what is happening in their friends' lives and will go out of their way to help a friend in need. I look forward to seeing their lives grow even more in the years to come. I also look forward to meeting their future grumble of pugs

- Kathy Thul

"Turns out Ashley was serious, she Reeeeeeeeally does love Dan."

My memory of meeting my baby brother is foggy at best.  My memory of meeting my brother's girlfriend Ashley, however, is crystal clear.

It was St. Patrick's Day 2007, Dan and I were leaving a hockey game and making our way to a bar so that he could introduce me to the girl he had been dating.  I was asking a few pertinent questions about this Ashley girl with whom I was going to be spending , what was to me at the time, the most holy day of the year. Dan, sensing my anxiousness looked at me and just said "She can drink, you'll get along great".  How true. 

After meeting and talking to her for a few hours, I thought Ash was a very nice girl but a bit more on the vanilla side than I was expecting. Cut to an hour later and this very nice little blond girl was yelling at an enormous, Vikings-linebacker-turned-bouncer as he picked her up and literately tossed her out of the bar. 

Events moved quickly from that point on. Though I'll admit that I was pretty drunk and I'm a horrible judge of time. What seemed like 3 seconds later, we were in St. Paul in the vestibule of Ashley's friend's 3rd cousin's step-son's apartment building...or something like that.  Dan was calling every cab company he could think of, looking for anyone who would take us back to his place in uptown. 

Ashley was taking advantage of the down time to alternate between laughing, and building a fort for all of us to sleep in out of unwanted phone books. Dan eventually resorted to going outside and running alongside a cab for a long enough distance that I guess they guy took pity on him, stopped,and agreed to let the three of us get in. I considered this a St. Patrick's Day miracle and I was elated that we wouldn't be waking up the next morning on a dirty tile floor, surrounded by oddly stacked phone books . 

My joy was cut short when 10 blocks into the ride the cabbie decided that he had had about enough of Ashley loudly telling Dan that she "Reeeeeeeeeeeeeally" loved him. He abruptly pulled over and invited us to kindly exit his automobile. Maybe not in those exact words... So while I was laughing, Dan was promising the guy we would all shut up for the rest of the ride, promising him a huge tip, and possibly promising his first born child, if the guy would just take us the rest of the way home. He agreed.

Ashley didn't shut up, I didn't either, and Dan kept dipping deeper into his wallet as cabbie kept us moving along towards home. At the time I remember thinking that it was an interesting night, a fun night, and that Ashley was definitely not vanilla. 

Looking back what I remember the most is Dan, right by Ashley's side; ready to fight a mountain of a bouncer; helping her build a phone book fort to spend the night in; doing everything he could think of to get her home safely, because Dan loves Ashley...

and it turns out Ashley was serious, she Reeeeeeeeeeeally does love Dan. 

- Mike Phillips

"The fact that Dan loved her was enough for us to love her too."

The 1st time I met Ashley, my wife Mary and I had come up to Minneapolis to visit Dan. We stayed in a hotel, and one morning we went over to Dan’s apartment a little earlier than planned. As I was walking up the stairs to his apartment EARLY in the morning, a pretty, blonde girl was coming down the stairs. I said "good morning" and she said "hi" as we passed in the hall. I thought to myself: I wonder which apartment she was coming from since there was only one other apartment across the hall from Dan.  Was it innocent? Or "walk of shame"? I didn't imagine she was someone who was with Dan, as she was clearly out of his league.

As Mary, Dan & I spoke later that day it became clear that this mystery woman was Dan's would-be girlfriend.  He had hustled her out before we arrived because he didn't want his parents to get a "bad" FIRST impression of her. Mary & I knew immediately that Dan was serious about this girl and so his parent's approval was important to him. Of course we never told him it didn't matter whether his mother and I liked Ashley....only that HE did. If we knew nothing else about her, the fact that Dan loved her was enough for us to love her too. I know that Mary would have been so excited to be at their wedding and will be there in spirit as well as in Dan's heart.  And that's all I have to say about that.

 - Mark Phillips

“Wow, those two are perfect for each other.”

I remember when Ashley started dating her apartment building’s maintenance man and all the jokes that went back and forth about their meet-cute, including our lovely nickname for “Dan, Dan, the Maintenance Man.”  However once we saw them in action together, it became clearer and clearer that there was something different about this guy. As a longtime friend of Ashley, I’ve grown to love her quirky personality and extroverted nature, so it was really refreshing to see a guy who could actually keep up with her from the start! 

Throughout their years of dating, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said, “wow, those two are perfect for each other,” usually after they both start talking about their mutual love of completely random things like junk food, the movie Oliver or their cat-like Pug, Lexie.  When the engagement rumors started, Dan did his best to throw Ashley (and the rest of us!) off, and to his credit, did a fantastic job keeping it a surprise. 

At their annual Holiday Party last year, I was down in the basement when Ashley came over the speakers to make her yearly toast.  We could all hear her just fine, however someone with inside knowledge highly recommended that we move upstairs to witness her speech. This is the moment when I knew it was on.  I elbowed my way through the throngs of people jammed into their living room to get a good view, just in time to see Ashley thank all of us for coming. 

At the conclusion of her toast, Dan grabbed the mic and Ashley gave him a slight look of annoyance as I am sure in true Ashley fashion, she had every detail of the night planned out (maybe he was cutting into the “dance portion of the evening”??).  While Dan is normally quite loud with a raunchy sense of humor, his words that night in his proposal to Ashley were soft, heartfelt and full of love. He got down on one knee, and she did too.

They may have their differences, but both are respectful and supportive of one another and their passions.   I mean, how can you explain any reason other than real love that would make a guy want to set up 97 Christmas trees???  They are a couple whose home is always open to visitors and they are always ready to share a laugh (and a drink!) with family and friends.  Best wishes to a long and happy future, love you both! 

- Lindsay Ellis

let the adventure begin