Day one
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Ashley and Carl met on the evening of May 24, 2013 in Chicago, IL. It’s quite the story actually. Carl was in Chicago visiting his line brother Mike Pace for the Memorial Day holiday. He and the guys got together and decided to go to Wrigleyville for a night on the town. While at the bar Sluggers, Carl was introduced to Ashley by her best friend, Joylynne. The introduction was brief and neither thought much of it. What happened next changed their lives forever….

The night was winding down and the group of friends decided to leave Sluggers and get something to eat at IHOP.  Ashley and Joy would ride together and Carl was attempting to ride with his good friends Conei and Keith. Conei had just bought a new car, which was super fresh and clean! While getting in, Keith accidentally opened the car door too wide and scraped the bottom on the street curb.

Carl knew how this would end up and didn’t want any parts of Conei arguing with Keith the entire way to IHOP. So he decided not to ride with them and noticed Ashley’s black car parked directly behind them. Without asking, he just hopped in the back seat of Ashley’s car and said he’s riding with her and Joy to IHOP. Ashley was surprised to say the least and asked Joy does she know Carl like that. This was before UBER and her mom taught her to never give rides to strangers. Joy gave the blessing and said he’s cool. Joy was the real MVP this night.

So off they all went to IHOP to get some late night food. As Ashley drove off, Carl began to compliment her on how nice her car was. It was a new Nissan Maxima, black on black, with leather seats and tinted windows. The car was clean and Carl began to gas Ashley something crazy. Little did she know, that Carl too drove a Nissan Maxima. It was a great start to Carl gassing Ashley for the rest of their lives.

Before the group arrived at IHOP, a special moment happened. Ashley turned on some music to keep the party going. Justin Timberlake had just released his new album, the 20/20 Experience. The album was a straight banger! The first song played was both Ashley and Carl’s favorite song on album, Spaceship Coupe. As the song dropped, Ashley began to sing immediately leaving Carl shocked. She knew his favorite song on the album, word for word. Like verbatim. He proceeded to ask her, “What you know about Justin Timberlake and this album? And what you know about this song?” Ashley proceeded to give Carl that look like “what you know about this?” After a quick laugh, both began to sing the song word for word in harmony together. It was magical. And the weekend was just getting started…

Day two
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On Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend, Conei and his family hosted their famous “Memorial Day BBQ/Day Party” at their lovely home. Every year the Coleman family would invite friends over to help them celebrate the holiday with bbq, drinks and music. Each year the event turned into a full day party and this is the main reason Carl and friends drove from St. Louis to Chicago that weekend. It was literally the best event of the summer. 

As the party went into the night, Carl was being his usual self and having a great time. He stayed with a red cup in hand and the party guests could hear him constantly yelling “Let’s Go!” Also it’s important to mention that he, NJ and D Money were killing it on the dance floor. All facts, Big Trust! The party was almost at its peak when Ashley and Joylynne showed up. If you know Ashley, you know she loves showing up late to a party LOL. Carl spotted her immediately and greeted her as she came through the door. As the gentleman he is, he offered to make her a drink in which she requested his favorite libation, Jack Daniels. In his head Carl thought, Ashley is just too good to be true. 

After having a drink or two together, Carl and Ashley continued to get to know each other better. Carl complimented Ashley on her Ralph Lauren frames which were popping. Little did she know, he was the best eyeglass salesman west of the Mississippi River. But without letting her know too much, Carl played it cool until the DJ played the next song, As the two were talking, Spaceship Coupe came across the speakers and Carl knew he had to ask Ashley to dance. She said yes and they went to the dance floor together. Knowing that Ashley is from Chicago, Carl showed off his stepping skills while singing at the top of his lungs like only he knows how to do. Of course Ashley laughed and Day 2 ended magically just like the night before.

Day three
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On Sunday of the holiday weekend, Carl and the squad decided to go out again for a night on the town. It was the last night before headed back to St. Louis in the morning so Carl knew he had to make the night count. The friends had an epic pregame before going out and went to Mother’s Bar on Division St. Upon arrival, Carl went straight to the basement of the bar where they have the famous popcorn machine. If you know Carl, you know his love for popcorn is real!

After eating numerous cups of the buttery popcorn, Carl spotted Ashley across the room on the dance floor. He actually didn’t recognize her because her hair was different this night and she wasn’t wearing her glasses. While Ashley couldn’t see, Carl’s vision was 2020 this night as he remembers exactly what she was wearing.  She had on this black and white striped shirt that showed off her flat stomach. She was also wearing these blue leggings that showed her off her curves. With this said, Ashley was looking like a JAWN this night! Carl knew then that he had to shoot his shot…

The friend group left Mother’s Bar and wanted to get some late night food. This is what they do as friends, drink and have fun and then eat and have fun. LOL! The group went to GreekTown and ate at the popular spot Mr. Greek Gyros. While eating, Carl and Ashley sat across from each other which prompted the two to strike up conversation. Of course, Carl wanted to know what Ashley did for work since she was driving that nice Nissan Maxima. Ashley’s response changed Carl forever as his eyes lit up and his heart fluttered.

Ashley stated that she was an engineer working for Procter & Gamble. Carl’s heart literally melted like the cheese on Ashley’s french fries. He thought to himself “not only is she beautiful, but she’s smart with a great job.” Carl looked up to the sky and asked, “God is that you?” After getting himself together, Carl started to talk about P&G like he worked there. You know he loves talking. Carl mentioned that his younger brother Josh went to school in Cincinnati where P&G is headquartered. As part of his “game” Carl knew he wanted to use this connection as a way to get Ashley’s number. So he asked if P&G had Microsoft Lync so the two can connect and network professionally. Ashley said yes her company has Lync and encouraged him to reach out to her. 

The night was winding down and Ashley was getting ready to leave with her friends. As the gentleman he is, Carl offered to walk her to the car. Of course it was for Ashley’s protection but Carl also wanted to see that brand new Nissan Maxima one final time. However the pair wasn’t alone as one of his friends and one of Ashley’s friends accompanied them. Carl was lowkey salty as he wanted this alone time to get her number. As the shy person he is, he didn’t want to ask for her number in front of friends. Discretion is Carl’s middle name. So as he opened Ashley’s car door, the two hugged and said it was a great weekend. Carl encouraged Ashley to keep in touch and said he will text her. Ashley laughed and said ok while driving off.  After a few minutes went by, she realized that Carl couldn’t actually text her cause he didn’t have her number.

Day four
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