This is the story of two small-town world travelers, one from the Pacific Northwest and one from the Midwest, who crossed paths and fell in love. Their story started in a very 21st-century kind of way, and they found each other online while Eli was stationed overseas. When he came home, their email messages turned into a first date at Des Moines Botanical Garden. What was meant to be a lunch date and stroll through a bonsai exhibit turned into an all-evening walk through a historic neighborhood. Their adventures had just begun. Traveling together, singing along with their music as the miles spun away opened their hearts to a possibility neither of them had quite expected. All they knew, for certain, was that these adventures were best experienced together. Then, on Thanksgiving Day 2020, Eli presented Abi with the story of their relationship, illustrated with pictures from their many adventures. When she turned to the last page, she saw the words, "Will You Marry Me?" Eli was on one knee at her side, holding up the most beautiful ring, but all she could see was love in the eyes of the man who had come to be her joy and haven. She said yes.