JACKSON TWP — U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Jake Perri has taken his girlfriend, Taylor VanHoose, to many places around the world. But, to VanHoose, there is no place like home.

Perri, 24, who is based in Ankara, Turkey, knew how to capture her heart and proposed to VanHoose, 23, on Dec. 15 at Seneca Valley Middle School, where they met in the seventh grade.

“It meant more to me than any way he could have proposed to me abroad,” VanHoose said.

The two met in math teacher John Roman's Tiger Team room, their old school homeroom. Homerooms compete and some students are highlighted during a monthly pizza party.

VanHoose and Perri met at the first party of their seventh-grade year.

“We had classes together. We were both pretty quiet,” VanHoose said.

“He was a nice kid, and he always had a nice smile.”

It wasn't love at first sight for the couple. Perri, a Harmony resident, was determined to ignore those Cranberry Township girls, as students from different elementary schools began taking classes together.

Perri and VanHoose started dating in their junior year, shortly after they attended homecoming activities together.

Now more than seven years later, Perri escorted VanHoose through the middle school once more.

The two ate a school lunch in the cafeteria, before embarking down memory-filled halls.

“We were kind of able to relive our Seneca years in a way,” VanHoose said.

They visited some of their favorite rooms and teachers, like their eighth-grade science teacher Matthew Durst, who helped set up the proposal with Roman and Perri.

The couple's last stop was the Tiger Team's room. That's where Perri popped the question. VanHoose said yes.

The two celebrated their engagement with their favorite teachers, before heading home and celebrating again with their families.

“Everybody was really happy,” VanHoose said.

Perri said the proposal idea came from a suggestion, but he made it his own.

“It just made sense that way,” he said. “I chose the middle school because I knew it would mean more to her than anywhere we've gone.”

Five days after the proposal, Perri returned to Turkey.

“It (his proposal) was on a Friday, and then we had the weekend to kind of celebrate with friends and family,” VanHoose said.

VanHoose said she has grown accustomed to the couple's long-distance relationship, and she said they have benefited from the digital age.

Although not in person, she sees Perri as much as possible and talks to him every day.

“The technology makes it easy,” VanHoose said. “We have iPhones, so we have FaceTime.”

Perri said the toughest part is adjusting to the 8-hour time difference between the U.S. East Coast and Turkey, but they continue to find time for each other.

They make it work.

“On my way to work, I'll give her a call before she goes to bed,” he said. “She calls me when she's heading into work.”

VanHoose said today's technology is even a far cry from their time in high school or when Perri was in boot camp.

“We used to write letters in high school all the time,” she said. “When he was in boot camp, we would write letters all the time because we couldn't communicate by phone.”

VanHoose said holidays can be hard, but Perri gets leave during Christmas time, and they don't take holidays like Valentine's Day too seriously.

“We're pretty laid back about Valentine's Day,” she said. “We don't really go all out.”

Perri said they haven't celebrated Valentine's Day in person since 2012, but they find a way to make the day unique.

“Last year, we both got a pizza, and we FaceTimed and ate pizza together,” he said.

But soon things will change. The couple plan to marry in March when Perri will be reassigned to Destin, Fla.

VanHoose said next month is coming slowly.

She's excited to call Perri her husband and to have the opportunity to travel with him. With the exception of deployments, spouses of military personnel can follow and live with their significant other when stationed overseas.

“Then there won't be any more distance,” she said. “Well, it's the military so there's always a little distance. But, we'll be married.”