They say you shouldn’t give strangers that walk into your store your phone number.

Sasha has never been one to follow the classic path to success. Unsure of what to do after graduation, but 100% sure of her love for baseball, she bought a baseball memorabilia store in Cooperstown, NY, the site of baseball's Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame Red Sox pitcher Dennis Eckersley said, “you never know when your life is going to change forever.”

5 years later, James walked into her store on a freezing February day with more than 3 feet of snow on the ground. His grandfather was visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame, located just a line drive away from her store. James wasn’t a baseball fan - and he still isn’t. After visiting a few other stores, he found his way into Sasha’s. A short time later he had her phone number and just like that they had started on a journey that would change both of their lives forever.

They kept in touch, talking nearly every day, and that summer, James returned to Cooperstown to be with Sasha.

After living together in Cooperstown for 2 years, they moved to Nashville, TN and later, Durham, NC, to be closer to family. They live 10 minutes away from the AAA Durham Bulls stadium - Sasha wasn’t going to move somewhere without baseball.

They say you shouldn’t wait 10 years to propose.

James made Sasha wait for the proposal even longer than the classic 3-4 years. He decided to create a custom designed engagement ring, choosing the stones himself and working with a retired jeweler to craft her the ring of her dreams. FINALLY, this past November, the ring was complete, and on Sasha’s birthday, James proposed.

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