Our Journey
We are Erin and Erin, Boy Erin and Girl Erin, E-squared, Team Erin. If you didn’t catch that, we have the same name!
Anyways, we’ve been a duo since 2007 and way too happily married since October 2014.
For us, marriage brought on a sense of freedom. It was time to make decisions for our future, discover our destiny together. And how do you really know what your destiny is meant to be unless you take chances and follow your heart?
For this reason, we decided to take one of the biggest risks of all.
We left the comfortable lives that we worked SO hard to achieve and moved to Austria. Where the unknown awaits us…
But how did our journey get us here? Where did this intense desire to travel come from? And why Austria?
Let’s go back in time to help you understand..
About Girl Erin
Born and raised in Connecticut, in the suburbs of New York City, Erin led a pretty typical childhood. Close-knit family of 6, hardworking student, dancer and a friend to all. Then, in the middle of her Junior year of high school, Erin’s family relocated to Toronto, Canada…
Although this wasn’t the best news at the age of 16, in the end, it truly sparked her interest in traveling and living in other parts of the world.
After high school, Erin was accepted to the University of Delaware, your picture perfect all American university. She instantly accepted and decided to major in Hotel and Restaurant Management, since her love for travel and tourism was still clear.
Lucky enough, UD has an incredible study abroad program during their long winter break, and Erin was able to study abroad in Merida, Mexico and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Both trips were truly life changing, but each was an entirely different travel experience.
Merida provided a chance for her to live with a Mexican family and to travel throughout Mexico each weekend. Her appreciation for living abroad grew from here. She became addicted to that moment when you’re finally comfortable living in a foreign country. When you can get around and communicate fully without having to think.
Buenos Aires was the second study abroad trip Erin was able to take at the University of Delaware. During this study abroad excursion, she traveled each weekend to some of the most beautiful places she had ever seen. This trip truly sparked her interest in seeing all the beauty this world has to offer.
Between both the culture-filled Merida trip and the jaw dropping Buenos Aires experience, it was sure thing. Erin needed to live abroad. And she had Europe on the brain. But making that dream a reality seemed a bit far off…
Enter man Erin.
About Man Erin
Erin spent his childhood growing up on a farm in southern New Jersey, right outside of Philly. A lover of soccer, video games, Star Wars, the newest technology, music and SO much more, (seriously Erin has 98374 hobbies and interests), he always kept himself busy.
Although he lived a normal childhood, unlike most, he was exposed to travel and culture at a very early age.
Erin’s father was born in Salzburg, Austria and lived there until he was nine years old. At the age of nine, his father moved to the USA where he grew up, to one day meet Erin’s mother and start a family in New Jersey. Because of his father’s roots and family abroad, Erin has always had a strong tie to Austria. His whole family actually used to visit Salzburg every single year for a month at a time to reunite with family and travel. This tradition started when Erin was just two years old!
With each trip to Austria, Erin grew more and more in love with the country. His cousin, who was around his age, would take him to play soccer with friends, and out on the town to enjoy Austrian nightlife. Erin truly felt like a local. The history and family background was beyond exciting to him and the country itself stole his heart.
Unfortunately because the kids were getting older, the last family visit to Austria was when Erin was 13 years old. Even though the trips ended, his love for the country remained and he held on to his dream of one day returning, not just to visit, but to live.
After high school, Erin completed his associate’s degree locally in Video Imaging, but felt like he needed something a bit more. He wanted to continue his education, and obtain a bachelor’s degree so that he could own his own company, work for himself, and live wherever he wanted AKA Austria.
He decided the University of Delaware and its leadership program was the best choice for his next step. After all, the U of D is your classic American university experience.
Little did he know, early in his college years, Erin would meet his entire future in the form of another Erin…
How the Erins united…
Who would have thought that UD hockey parties would spark a romance to last a lifetime.
Well, that is exactly how it all started back in 2006 at the University of Delaware. Both Erins had a mutual love for hockey AKA hockey in man Erin’s case and hockey player’s in girl Erin’s case…
After meeting time and time again at UD Hockey parties, man Erin finally got up the courage to make the first move…via Facebook. He pulled the old “I lost my phone; can I have your number” Facebook message, which, to his surprise, girl Erin actually responded to. After months of flirtatious texts, FINALLY, the 2 Erins scheduled their first gathering.
It was immediately clear this “friendship” was meant to be something more. From that moment on, the Erins could not be separated. And now, more than 8 years later, nothing has changed. Nothing, aside from their marital status…
The proposal…
The proposal…Erin and Erin got engaged on December 29th, 2012 in probably the most romantic setting that’s ever existed – Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square PA. Every year, the two would make the same trip to Kennett Square to witness A Longwood Gardens Christmas. Where trees are wrapped in every color light imaginable. And in the cold crisp air with a hot chocolate in hand, nothing is more romantic.
Now for the good part…
Picture this: a light blanket of snow swept over millions of Christmas lights, a tall stone chime tower with chimes ringing beautifully and the entire area blocked off just for the two. Got the visual?? If not, here ya go:
Then, man Erin pulls out a huge scrapbook from his backpack and hands it to girl Erin.
As his future fiance turns the pages, she soon realizes that every page is a line of a poem that man Erin had wrote for her. And the last page read, “Will you be my forever? Will you always stay? Will you marry me my love, and feel like this every day?”
Tears rolled down her cheeks when she looked up to see the most beautiful and unique diamond ring she could have EVER imagined. It was an obvious YES!! This moment was truly the happiest and most perfect moment of their lives…
And then…a WEDDING to end all weddings.
2 years. 2 years of crafting and planning to put together the MOST epic wedding of all time. Literally, NO exaggeration here! Here are some pictures so you can see just how spectacular this wedding truly was…
And aside from just planning a wedding, the Erins hosted an official wedding after party called FOREVERLAND!! YUP, there was definitely a forest rave until 3am, where man Erin (Wolf Detrix) DJed along with three others… Glowsticks, fire pits, a food truck and a whole lotta love were a few of the MANY things that made up Foreverland.
On to the next adventure…
The wedding came and went, but our journey didn’t end there. We were ready for our next big life change. Yes, that could mean saving for a house, starting a family, and becoming more responsible adults. But we chose a little less traditional route…
We decided to begin our future together by leaving our 9-5s and moving to AUSTRIA to explore all that Europe has to offer…
